Domicile
by ChoudenjihouIppotsukou
Summary: A certain mysterious event turned Misaka Mikoto into a ten year old kid. To make it worse, she was forced to live with her little sister and a person she hates with all her heart.
1. Weird Things Happen

"Wha..."

She looked at her tiny hands as she lifted them at eye level. She couldn't believe what she saw. She slowly blinked her hazel eyes, and stared at her petite body. Some of her clothes slipped away from her body, leaving her on her loose white dress shirt and her Tokiwadai vest. Her face looked like she was about to cry as she stared at the stretching darkness in front of her. She opened her mouth to shout how unreasonable her situation has become.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED TO ME?! "

She reverted back to her 10 year old self.

And she never knew why.

Travelling a few hours back, here's what really happened.

* * *

On a bright and sunny weekend, Misaka Mikoto was playing alone in the arcade. She sat in front of an arcade machine with a cup of tokens beside her. She sighed as she pressed a few buttons on the machine.

"Sigh... Why do they have to do something on the same day?.. Ugh, I feel so alone."

She continued to press the buttons as she stared at the monitor listlessly. After a few matches, she went to the crane catcher located at the left part of the arcade beside the sliding glass door. She inserted a few coins, then held the analog stick firmly.

"Might as well play this..."

She then tried to grab a stuffed toy with the claw, but it immediately slipped away. She inserted another set of coins, and continued to play the game. After using a lot of arcade coins, her face was painted with pure irritation. She was starting to lose her patience as she jammed the coins forcefully into the machine. She looked at the cup of coins beside her and clicked her tongue.

"Tch. I only have few coins left..."

She stared back at the machine and frowned in concentration.

"Just you wait... I'll succeed in catching one of you today!"

Then she moved the analog stick and dropped the claw into a stuffed toy. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she looked at the claw nervously. As the claw touched the stuffed toy, it closed and grabbed the prize. It felt like everything went in slow motion as she saw the claw carrying a cute stuffed toy in its grasp. The claw moved to drop it into the hole, and the stuffed toy rolled down the machine. Her eyes glittered in delight as she grabbed her prize in anticipation.

"I... I did it!"

She smiled happily as she stared at her prize. It was a yellow chick stuffed toy with tiny wings and feet. It was really cute that Mikoto almost melted in her position. She hugged it tightly and grabbed the remaining coins.

"Great, I still have some coins left."

She kept the silver coins in her pocket and skipped happily on her way outside the arcade.

As she walked the road, she was humming a certain tune happily. Passing by an alleyway, she remembered that it was actually a shortcut. She turned to her side and entered the narrow alleyway.

"Maybe I should walk through here..."

As she walked the alleyway, she heard footsteps skidding across the pavement. She followed the sound out of curiosity and found a group of thugs circling around a dark haired man in a lab coat. The man carried a black suit case and had his back on the wall. The thugs grinned at him as they stepped closer to the man.

"So, are you going to give us your money, or I'm gonna force you myself?"

The man didn't say anything and looked somewhere behind them. He stared at Mikoto with dead eyes. She felt a shiver ran down her spine as she stared back at him. She walked closer to the thugs and talked nonchalantly.

"I don't know what's this all about, but it's rude to force money out of people."

"Huh? Who are you?"

"Hey, ojou-chan. It's also rude to butt in to other people's business, so back off. Unless you want me to hurt you."

The thug, who was assumed to be the leader, cracked his knuckles as he looked menacingly at Mikoto. She just heaved out a sigh at this, and gave an 'I-don't-give-a-shit' look.

"Hey, you looked really cute! And you're from Tokiwadai, so I guess you're filthy rich."

"After I won a prize, I'll encounter this? Why won't you guys leave me alone..."

The thug outstretched his hand to Mikoto and blabbed at her.

"We won't, we still haven't received anything from you, so-ACK!"

Electricity buzzed in the air. The thug fell down limply as he was charred by lightning. His underlings charged at her, but she fried them like what she did to their leader.

She walked across the fallen bodies and went near the man in a lab coat.

 _'I guess he's a researcher...'_

"Are you alright?"

The man stared at her again with his dead eyes and nodded his head a little.

"Would you mind if you would accompany me for a while..?"

"Eh? Sure..."

The two of them walked away from the unconscious bodies and turned into a corner. He then opened his suitcase and brought out a strange device. Mikoto felt bad about this as she backed a few steps away from the man.

"I knew you would come in this situation, so my calculations are correct."

"What do you mean?"

"I have waited for this day, Railgun-sama."

He then pointed the strange device at her and she froze on her spot.

 _'What the hell is this?! I can't move!'_

Soon after, a thin ray of light shot out of the device and struck Mikoto. It didn't hurt her, but it made her feel weak as she was slowly losing her consciousness.

 _'This... can't be happening...'_

She fell down the asphalt floor and the researcher grinned.

"The effects will soon show up before she would regain her consciousness, so I better leave the scene. Hehe... This is the sweetest revenge that I've been waiting for!"

He ran away from the dark alleyway as he laughed like a madman. Mikoto was left unconscious on the ground.

* * *

And you know what happened next.

"Aaarrghh! I don't know what's happening anymore!"

She ruffled her hair in frustration.

"Wait, I need to calm down and concentrate. What should I do on situations like this?"

She then grabbed her things, including her slipped off clothes and the stuffed toy, and silently walked out of the alleyway. When she reached the main road, she observed the place and looked at the nearest department store.

"Maybe I should go there to buy some clothes. I still have my money with me, so I think I'm okay."

She then ran to the store and went inside. She hastily went to the kid's section and grabbed a pair of shorts, a black hoodie and a cute green t-shirt.

"Maybe this should do..."

She stopped at a few sections to buy other essential pieces of clothing, a small back pack, and a pair of shoes then she went to the cashier. She immediately paid her purchases and glanced at her surroundings.

"Now, what should I do next?"

She thought that she should change her clothes. She decided she would just change inside the restroom because it would be weird for a kid to rent a room at a hotel. She ran to the restroom and entered a vacant cubicle. She quickly changed her clothes and neatly kept her things inside the bag that she purchased earlier.

Mikoto went out of the cubicle and walked to the mirror to look at herself. She sighed as she stared at her now petite body.

"So I really turned into a kid, huh..."

She then proceeded in thinking of a plan. The only thing left to think about was a place to stay. If that person is dangerous, then she wouldn't let her friends know her situation, so they're out of the question. She couldn't come back to the dorms, too. No one would believe that the Ace of Tokiwadai turned into a kid because of a mysterious man. So again, out of the question. So the only thing left is...

"Then I'll stay outside until I found a way to turn back to normal..?"

She sighed again and went out of the restroom. She clutched the strap of her backpack as she walked the grounds of the department store.

"Maybe I should look around for a while..."

Mikoto roamed the store aimlessly. She would just stare at the different stalls and walk silently without a reason.

She then looked at her Gekota phone to check for the time. Good thing she still have it with her.

"So it's already near curfew..."

She continued to walk as she fiddled with her phone. Suddenly, someone bumped into her and both of them fell backwards.

"Ow..."

"'Oops! Sorry!' says Misaka as Misaka apologized to the person she bumped into..."

"Eh?"

Mikoto stared wide eyed at the girl who bumped into her. She looked incredibly familiar, so she took a closer look. She had the same shoulder-length hair, hazel eyes, and physical features just like the kid she saw from the reflection on the mirror earlier in the restroom.

 _'There's no mistaking it... This kid is...'_

"A Sister..?"

"'WAH! Why do you look insanely similar to Misaka Misaka?' says Misaka as Misaka was shocked from their similarities..."

The little sister looked as shocked (*ahem* no pun intended) as the original was. They just stared at each other until Mikoto spoke up.

"Who are you? Why are you a kid? Aren't the sisters made to look like a teenager just like me?.."

"'You seem to be informed of the sisters project, so Misaka Misaka will introduce herself to you! This Misaka is serial number 20001, also called 'Last Order!' says Misaka says Misaka with enthusiasm!"

"Last Order?"

"'Yes! Then your turn!' says Misaka as Misaka wanted you to say your name."

"Uhh... I'm actually Misaka Mikoto..."

The young girl who called herself Last Order was surprised from her answer.

"Something weird happened, so I turned into a ten year old kid..."

"'So you're Onee-sama!' says Misaka as Misaka felt accomplished after she finally met Onee-sama!"

Last Order jumped up and down in excitement while Mikoto just stared at the little clone of her.

"Y-yeah... So why are you alone? Shouldn't you be close with the others?"

"'No, Misaka Misaka is in fact with someone earlier.' says Misaka as Misaka-"

"Hey brat! Don't go running around. You're giving me a shitload of stress in finding you."

"'Ah, here he is!' says Misaka as Misaka presents her guardian to Onee-sama."

Mikoto froze in her place. She looked really horrified at what she saw.

 _'Last Order is together with Accelerator..?'_

Accelerator also looked as shocked as she was, but his facial expression had a tint of irritation. He looked really perplexed as he stared at the two identical little girls in front of him.

 _'Two brats?! Now this is fucked up...'_

Mikoto glared at him, and Accelerator felt like he had seen that cold look from before, but not from Last Order.

"What the hell are you doing here, you bastard..?"

Accelerator looked more shocked at this, but it instantly changed into an angered expression.

"Who the fuck are you calling a bastard, brat?"

"'Stop fighting! Onee-sama, please don't hate Accelerator. And Accelerator, stop being angry at Onee-sama!' says Misaka says Misaka to stop you from fighting."

"What?! You're telling me not to hate THIS GUY?! Are you sure about that? After all what this guy did to the sisters, do you think that would be easy for me?!"

"'Misaka Misaka will explain later!' says Misaka says Misaka to calm down Onee-sama."

"Why are you brat calling this other brat 'Onee-sama'?"

"'Because she is Misaka Mikoto Onee-sama,' says Misaka as Misaka answers your question."

"Hah?"

Accelerator stared at the other 'brat' (or what he called them) as if he was observing her. Mikoto just glared back and gritted her teeth. She clenched her hands into fists and her nails dug into her palm. She then looked away and lowered her head. Accelerator raised a brow at this, then he asked Last Order again.

"Are you kidding me, brat?"

"'No! Misaka Misaka is saying the truth!' says Misaka as Misaka pouts in frustration."

"And how did you know that?"

"'Onee-sama told Misaka Misaka earlier,' says Misaka says Misaka in confusion."

"And you instantly believed her? That doesn't make any fucking sense."

"I'm leaving. I got important matters to do."

Mikoto interjected in their conversation. She slowly turned away from them, but she suddenly felt someone tugging her shirt. It was Last Order.

"'You really are Onee-sama, right?!' asks Misaka as Misaka tugged your clothes."

"Yeah..."

"'See Accelerator? She's Onee-sama. She's not even connected to the network!' says Misaka as Misaka presents her proof."

"What the f-"

"DON'T MOVE! OR I'LL BLOW HER HEAD!"

They looked at the source of the voice and saw a man pointing a gun to a woman's temples while she's in a headlock.

A hostage scenario was happening in the department store.

' _Really?.. Bad luck kept on slapping me on the face these days...'_

Mikoto thought. She hid behind a stall beside them. Accelerator just looked at her in confusion, while Last Order just followed what she did.

"Oi, what the hell are you brats doing?"

"'Onee-sama and Misaka Misaka are hiding,' says Misaka as Misaka whispered so she will not be heard by the bad man."

"I know that, damned brat."

Mikoto just remained silent and observed the whole place. It was quite big, actually. She turned her head sideways, and peeked at the man from behind the little stall.

 _'He might have some other people with him...'_

And she was proved right.

Several armed men started pointing their guns at the cashiers. The people started to cower in fear and clump together for comfort. Then the armed men started to steal the money from the cashier.

' _These guys are idiots... They didn't even bother to completely secure their plan...'_

Even if she's just behind a small stall, she was left unnoticed. The man from earlier still had his gun pointed at the woman, and one wrong move, she's dead. She was thinking silently when the ever-so-powerful idiot approached the armed man.

"STOP MOVING!"

"Hah?"

"I said STOP MOVING you piece of shit!"

Some of the accomplices pointed their guns at Accelerator, and he just smiled sadistically.

"You think you scumbags can fucking hurt me with that? Don't be ridiculous..."

He started fiddling with his choker and a click was heard. He set his cane down and walked closer. If they started shooting at him, the bullets would reflect everywhere, hitting innocent people.

Mikoto tried to stay calm and counted the armed men.

 _'There's just five of them? They really are stupid...'_

They started to circle around Accelerator while pointing their guns at them. He just walked casually to the man who was shaking in fear.

"Free that woman."

"S-stop getting closer, o-or I'll shoot her!"

' _Shit, I need to stop this...'_

She thought that maybe she can redirect their guns to somewhere safe, away from Accelerator. When one of the armed men moved his finger to the trigger, she started to take action.

"Wha-"

All of their guns pointed downwards and they missed their aim. Accelerator looked surprised at this and looked back at Mikoto with a slightly shocked face. He then smirked at her.

"What the fuck are you doing? Sorry but I won't thank you for that."

"It's not for you, bastard. People might get hurt if they started shooting at you, dumbass."

Their guns started to fall on the ground and they clumped together. They looked really shocked and took a step back. Accelerator just stared at her with a raised eyebrow, while Mikoto stared at the man who had the woman in a headlock. The man nervously brought his hands to his pocket. He then brought out something shiny and pointed it at the woman's neck.

 _'I thought so...'_

"Y-you thought you guys already won? Don't screw with me! I-I'll kill this woman, and I'll get out of here with the money... No one is able to stop me!"

The knife was just a few centimeters away from the woman's neck. If she pulled it down just like what she did with the guns, it might graze the hostage's neck and hurt her. She reached for her pocket and brought out a coin.

"I guess I need to scare him off just a little."

"Huh? What are you talking about, brat?"

Mikoto flipped the coin into the air.

And a beam of bright, blinding light washed them off of their senses.

Then came a deafening silence. Mikoto was sparking with electricity as she stood with her right arm outstretched in front of her. She glared at the hostage taker as he trembled in fear.

"Stop this stupid hostage drama, you're just getting yourself hurt. Oh, don't worry. I already called Anti-Skill minutes ago, so they might arrive soon."

The man looked at his hand. The knife that he was holding earlier was already gone. Or rather, the blade of the knife was neatly melted from its handle. He suddenly stumbled back and let go of the woman. He and his people tried to run away, but the sirens that sounded from outside of the building halted them from their tracks. Anti-Skill entered and quickly arrested them. They couldn't do anything as they followed their orders blankly.

On the other hand, Accelerator was staring at Mikoto with a surprised expression. Last Order was also staring at her with awe-filled eyes. She started to turn her back and walk away from the scene, but was again stopped by Last Order's voice.

"'That was amazing!' says Misaka as Misaka wants to hug Onee-sama!"

"Eh?"

Last Order ran and tackled Mikoto with a hug, in which she tried to maintain her balance. Her hug was so tight that Mikoto couldn't breath properly.

"W-wah... C-calm down... Can't.. breath..."

"'Oh, Misaka Misaka is sorry,' says Misaka as Misaka bows her head."

"So..."

Accelerator's voice made Mikoto twitch. She never wanted to hear that voice again, but it seemed that bad luck was slapping her face again. She glared at him after Last Order released her from the hug. He continued speaking despite the treatment.

"...You really are the Railgun."

"'Yes, I told you!' says Misaka as Misaka felt accomplished as she was proved to be right."

"Tch. Stop being cocky, brat."

"Yo, Accelerator."

The three of them turned their heads to the voice and saw an Anti-Skill officer walking their way. It was Yomikawa Aiho. She approached Accelerator and asked him a few questions.

"It seems that you involved yourself in another trouble, kid."

"Tch. Do your job already."

"What happened? What did you do stop this situation?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"I'm doing my job."

"Then don't ask me. I did nothing."

Yomikawa raised an eyebrow.

"Then, who did this?"

She pointed at the melted knife that the hostage taker used. Accelerator clicked his tongue and pointed at the other kid beside Last Order.

"Ask her."

Yomikawa stared at Mikoto with wide eyes, then she shifted her gaze to Last Order. She turned her gaze back at her and knelt down to take a better look at her face. Mikoto felt nervous at her stare.

"You."

"W-what?"

"Are you one of 'them'?"

"Eh? I-I mean, no..."

She stuttered because of shock of the new discovery in front of her. 'So she knew about my sisters?'

"Then, who are you?"

She gulped nervously from the intense stare that Yomikawa gave her. She's not used to this kind pressure.

 _'There's no use lying now...'_

"I-I'm Misaka Mikoto..."

"The Railgun?! I met her before, and she's not a little kid."

Mikoto's eyebrow twitched when the officer pertained to her as a little kid. Well, no one could blame her. Being turned into a kid was really far-fetched reason for a normal person.

"Something happened, and I somewhat turned into a little kid..."

"'Don't worry! Onee-sama is telling the truth! She even used the railgun to stop them!' says Misaka Misaka to help Onee-sama."

"So that's why the blade was melted."

"I-I think I should go now..."

Mikoto awkwardly excused herself but was stopped again by a question. _'Why won't you guys just let me goooo... T-T'_

"Where are you going?"

"S-somewhere... Wander the streets, perhaps..?"

"If you turned into a kid, you don't have any place to stay, right?"

"Y-yeah... W-what about it?.."

She felt something bad is going to happen. She's sure of it. And the start of the omen was marked by Last Order's suggestion.

"'Then, why won't Onee-sama stay with us?' says Misaka Misaka stating her suggestion."

"Eh?!"

"Hmm... I think Yoshikawa wouldn't mind that, and I still need to ask her some questions. Plus, it's already near curfew. You're not allowed to wander the streets at night."

She then stared at the three people in front of her. Did 'us' actually meant Last Order, Yomikawa Aiho, and...

Accelerator.

' _No way. No way. NO. NO. NO. **THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL AM I GONNA LIVE WITH THIS BASTARD.'**_

"No way! I DECLINE that offer. No thanks."

"'Does that mean...'"

Mikoto's attention turned to Last Order. She looked like she was about to cry.

"'Onee-sama didn't want to be with Misaka Misaka?' says Misaka as Misaka felt heartbroken..."

"E-ehhh?!"

Mikoto became flustered as she stumbled around. She looked at Last Order's face and sighed in defeat.

' _I don't really know what to do in this situation... but I need to do something.'_

She held Last Order's shoulders and looked at her face to face. Last Order lifted her head and stared at her Onee-sama's eyes. She smiled her brightest smile at her younger sister and the people around her thought that they turned blind for a few seconds.

"It's not like that. So please, don't cry."

Last Order's face brightened and her eyes sparkled in delight.

"'Then, is Onee-sama going to live with us?!' asks Misaka Misaka expectantly."

"E-eh?!"

She looked at the two people beside them. Yomikawa had a 'just-give-up-already' look, while Accelerator just clicked his tongue in annoyance. Mikoto heaved out a sigh and stared back at Last Order with defeated eyes.

 _'I have no choice...'_

"Sure..."

Last Order smiled brightly and hugged Mikoto again. She was really excited.

"'Then let's go home!' says Misaka as Misaka pulls Onee-sama's hand."

And that was the start of Misaka Mikoto's torturous but happy days.

Author's note:

Yeah. It's a bit weird, but I decided to write this stuff.

Next chapter!:

Stressed Mikoto, Happy Last Order, and Grumpy Accelerator.

Yeah.


	2. Apartment

On a windy, starry night, the cool evening breeze swift past the curtains through the windows. It looked like a peaceful night to everyone, except for a certain girl who was sulking in a corner.

"Seriously..."

Her eyebrows twitched in annoyance as she stared at the inescapable situation in front of her.

"...WHY THE HELL DID IT TURN OUT LIKE THIS?!"

Our unstable protagonist shouted once again in frustration. Don't worry, the author won't let her scream again in every start of the chapter.

She breathed heavily in desperation. The other inhabitants of the apartment just stared at her with different expressions on their faces.

"Shut up shitty brat. I'm trying to sleep here."

Shouted the albino from the living room.

"'What's wrong, Onee-sama?' asks Misaka as Misaka stared at her Onee-sama in confusion."

"Onee-tama, no matter how loud you scream in the middle of the night, you won't increase in size. And Tou-san, how dare you sleep without Misaka beside you~"

"Which size are you pertaining to?.."

Her small form trembled as her face turned a deep shade of red from extreme irritation. The older looking girl, who was actually younger than our petite protagonist and to all of the characters in this story, simply smirked at her. She then stared a bit lower from the smaller girl's face, and cackled out in laughter.

"Well, Misaka can see that it's a lot smaller now."

"Are you picking a fight with me?!"

Turning back a few hours, here's what really happened after the hostage drama in the department store.

* * *

Misaka Mikoto walked like a robot beside Last Order, who was half dragging her along the way. She felt like her soul has already departed her as she stared at the crimson sunset stretching over the horizon.

 _'If the paradise called 'heaven' is real, I would freely go there without regrets...'_

"That would be nice..."

She muttered under her breath. Last Order heard this, and she looked back at her big sister.

"'Did you say something, Onee-sama?' asks Misaka as Misaka stared at Onee-sama."

"Huh... Ah, no. It's nothing..."

She weakly replied. Last Order looked back on the road as she hummed a certain tune happily with a smile on her face. She could barely keep up with her younger sister's energy, but seeing her like this made her feel happy. She then glanced at the white haired boy walking behind them. He had a neutral look, but it slowly turned into a scowl when he noticed Mikoto was staring at him.

"What?"

"Ah, nothing. I just thought how could a person like you keep up on Last Order's energy... I guess you've been together with Last Order for long, right?"

Accelerator clicked his tongue and looked away from her. He just remained silent and it pissed her off.

"Oi, I hate being ignored, you know..."

She heaved out a sigh. The three of them were walking to Yomikawa's apartment. Yomikawa still had something to do in Anti-Skill, that's why they went on without her.

Her backpack was starting to feel heavy on her back when they stopped in front of a decent apartment. Last Order opened the door hastily and ran to the living room. Mikoto and Accelerator followed, and they saw someone sprawled on the couch.

It was Worst.

"Tou-san, you're back~! Misaka is waiting for y-"

Worst looked down beside Accelerator and saw Mikoto on the side. She had an unreadable expression on her face, then it quickly changed into a teasing smirk.

"Oh my~ I didn't know that Tou-san had a fetish on young girls. Or maybe that's the reason why he ignores Misaka's advances. Misaka is heartbroken~"

"Wha-!"

Mikoto's jaw hanged open. She forgot that this clone had a certain connection with Accelerator, and she didn't know that she also lived in Yomikawa's apartment. She gulped as she started to lose her color.

"This is hell..."

"Shut your fucking trap, Worst. I'm really tired for fuck's sake."

Accelerator walked away and went to the kitchen to find some coffee. Worst looked back at Mikoto and she had a confused look on her face.

"Who are you? And where did Tou-san found you, lost kitten?"

A vein popped on her head.

"You really are annoying."

Last Order suddenly interjected in the heated conversation.

"'Don't you recognize her? She's actually Onee-sama,' says Misaka as Misaka states matter of factly."

"Hmm? NYAHAHAHAHA! Last Order, did you hit your head or something?"

From a crazed out laugh to a monotone voice, Worst swiftly changed her tone in seconds. She then looked back at Mikoto and asked her with prying eyes.

"Are you really Onee-tama?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I somehow turned into a kid..."

Worst covered her mouth to stifle her laugh, but she failed in the end. She burst out laughing as she rolled on the couch.

"Pfft... NYAHAHAHAHAHA! Are you serious?! Ahahaha, Misaka couldn't take it anymore!.."

"Ugh... This is worse than I thought..."

She brushed off Worst and sat on a chair tiredly. She set her bag on the floor beside the chair and rested her head on the table. Last Order suddenly appeared beside her, startling her back to reality.

"'Onee-sama! Let's play together!' says Misaka as Misaka shows Gekota to Onee-sama."

She quickly turned her head to Last Order as she heard the name 'Gekota' escape from her mouth, almost snapping her neck. She saw the frog stuffed toy on Last Order's hands as she smiled happily. She couldn't help but stare at the stuffed toy with a cat like expression on her face. It felt like her soul came back to her as she grabbed her little sister's shoulders hastily, which startled the younger girl.

"Hey Last Order, do you like Gekota?!"

Mikoto asked enthusiastically, which was replied by a smiling Last Order.

"'Yes, I like Gekota a lot! Gekota is my friend!' says Misaka as Misaka hugged Gekota tightly."

"Fuwa... So cute..."

 _'Oh, right. I still have them with me.'_

She then searched her bag and brought out a finger puppet. She placed it on her finger and showed it to Last Order.

"Look! This is the rarest of the rare, with only one in 64 chances of getting it, Rainbow Gekota!"

"'Woah! That's amazing!' says Misaka Misaka in astonishment."

Then the two started playing as they ran into the bedroom. Accelerator went back to the living room with a can of coffee in hand and noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Yoshikawa?"

Worst looked back at him from the sofa and answered his question.

"She said she had some business to do and she won't be coming home for days."

After that, he threw the empty can of coffee in the trash and went to the room. He saw Last Order and #3 on the bed, playing with frog toys. They really looked like average young twins enjoying their toys in their playtime, which was actually quite wrong in some ways. One: They're not twins. One of them was a clone, while the other was the original. And Two: One of them was actually a teenager. She just suddenly popped out and said she turned into a ten year old child. He plopped on his bed and commented on the two on the other bed.

"So that's where that brat got her liking on some retarded frogs."

Mikoto twitched and glared at the albino on the other bed. She didn't like what she heard.

"Hey. First, Gekota is not retarded. And second, he is not a frog. He's a mascot! How dare you say bad things about him!"

"Yeah, yeah. I don't fucking care if that thing is a frog or not, but its still retarded."

"YOU!"

She jumped from Last Order's bed to Accelerator's and landed an elbow at his abdomen from midair. He did not expect this move from her, that's why he didn't have the time to turn on his choker and dodge that wrestling move. He clutched his stomach protectively and glared angrily at Mikoto, who was standing triumphantly on the edge of the bed with her hands on her hips.

"What the fuck was that for, you shitty third rate piece of shit?!"

"Heh! That's what you get for getting on my wrong side. I still have some moves left with me."

"IT FUCKING HURTS! What are you, a stupid muscle-headed brute?! I might die from that, you bitch!"

"Hmm? Don't worry, you won't die from that. I practice these moves on a daily basis, and I know how to hold it back to avoid unnecessary casualties..."

"Why on earth are you practicing those kind of things? Are you a pro wrestling fanatic or something?!"

Mikoto slightly looked away and mumbled in reply.

"Well, if you have a perverted stalker as a roommate, learning this is quite necessary..."

"Huh? What kind of a fucking reason is that?"

"Long story..."

Accelerator writhed in pain on his bed while Mikoto raised an eyebrow at him. Last Order just continued to play on her bed, ignoring the loudness of the two people on the other bed.

"What the hell? You're so weak..."

"Shut up, shitty third rate. I'm NOT that fucking weak..."

"Then stop overreacting. The pain should go away by now, but I think it still depends on the target. I should take note of that..."

After a few minutes, Worst entered the room and plopped down on the other bed at the right side of the room. Accelerator looked a lot better now, and Last Order was already asleep. Suddenly, a question popped up in Mikoto's mind, and she voiced it out.

"Wait. Where am I gonna sleep in here?"

As the other awake residents heard this, Worst's lips curved up into a mischievous smile.

"Then, Onee-tama can sleep on Misaka's bed."

"Huh? Are you sure? Then where are you going to sleep after that?"

"Then Misaka will sleep beside Tou-san, I think he needed some company tonight~"

Accelerator scowled at Worst and sat up straight. He held his crutch and tried to stand up, then he pointed on his bed.

"No fucking way Worst. Not gonna happen. Third rate, you can sleep on my bed, I'll just take the couch."

Mikoto felt awkward, as the thought that sleeping on a boy's bed is a bit...

"Inappropriate..."

"Huh?"

Then she flustered in response.

"I-I mean, I think I'll be the one who should take the couch. With my height right now, I think I'll just fit nicely in there..."

And she also thought that sleeping in the same room with Worst would be a bad idea.

Accelerator shrugged her off and went to the door.

"No excuses. I'll take the couch."

"B-but-!"

And the door was slammed at her face. She looked back at the room and she can hear a snickering Worst in the corner. This is going to be a bad night.

* * *

And that's the reason why she shouted in frustration. It's not just about the fact that she's using a boy's bed, but the thing that bugged her the most was actually the constant teasing of Worst. It's already late in the evening and she still couldn't sleep. Worst would always find a way to annoy her, like teasing her about their 'physical differences' (iykwim ;)) or just by simply creating unnecessary noise in the whole room. This actually woke up Last Order in the middle of the night, and Worst just laughed it off. But this actually became a good thing for Mikoto. She can ignore Worst by talking to Last Order, which was proved to be successful. The 'more developed' girl gave up on teasing her and sulked in a corner, while the original was talking to her little sister about different things. Suddenly, Mikoto remembered something.

"Hey, Last Order. You said you're going to explain why you guys are living with Accelerator, right?"

"'Yeah!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka almost forgot about it."

Then, she gave her big sister a sincere smile.

"'Accelerator saved Misaka Misaka, the Sisters, and Worst before,' states Misaka as Misaka unfolds the truth."

"Eh...?"

Mikoto's mind turned blank. She never expected her answer, so it took her a few moments to understand what she said.

"Saved... you?"

"'Yes!' says Misaka Misaka in agreement."

For Mikoto, the word 'saved' and the name 'Accelerator' didn't sit well with each other. It's like a taboo for her. She clenched her fists and burst out in anger.

"That bastard killed 10,000 sisters, how am I supposed to believe that?! That guy... That guy-!"

A flashback rang in her head. She saw one of her sisters getting squashed by a train. Crimson blood pooled down under the heavy metal frame. Then she saw another one. A white haired boy touched the wound on her shoulder, and blood splattered everywhere, obscuring the view from the surveillance camera.

She shivered at the memory and covered her trembling form with her arms as she hugged herself. She bowed her head down with her body hunched over the white sheets of the bed. Her heartbeat was racing as her breathing turned erratic. She jolted when Last Order touched her left shoulder. She lifted her face and was greeted by a solemn expression on her little sister's face.

"'Onee-sama, do you know why Accelerator is using a crutch right now?' asks Misaka as Misaka remembers an old memory."

"... Eh?.. "

Now that her sister mentioned it, she failed to notice that obvious change. She also remembered that she actually landed a hit on him earlier, which made her a bit confused.

 _'He should have reflected my attack earlier...'_

"N-no... I don't know."

"'Accelerator was shot in the head to save Misaka Misaka and the Sisters. Because of this, he became crippled and was unable to use his powers without the help of the Misaka Network. Without him, Misaka Misaka won't be here,' answers Misaka as Misaka said this in a sad tone."

Mikoto's eyes widened in disbelief. Even if she actually believed Last Order's words, her mind continued to deny it. She clutched the sides of her head protectively. She couldn't understand anything anymore. It's not just about the fact that she despised Accelerator, but something else was stopping her from believing those words.

The monster, Accelerator, actually saved her sisters from absolute death.

While the original and the Sisters' Onee-sama, Misaka Mikoto, couldn't do anything to save them.

The person that anyone would least expect him to save the Sisters actually succeeded in doing so, while the young girl who wanted to protect them the most failed miserably in her own powerlessness.

This fact tore her heart apart and she clutched her chest. She was silently whimpering in pain as her heartache reached its intensity. Last Order looked alarmed as she saw her big sister's depressed state, even Worst who was eavesdropping in their conversation stared worriedly at the original.

"In the end... I was useless afterall..."

"'Onee-sama...'"

She weakly stood up and wobbled on her way to the door. Last Order tried to stop her, but she glanced back at them with a smile on her face.

"I-I'm just going to... drink some water..."

What made them stop wasn't her excuse, it's actually the smile on her face.

A fake smile, which was actually a facade to the pain that she felt in her heart, a shield to hide the feeling of powerlessness that was slowly creeping into her soul.

She turned her back and closed the bedroom door. The two clones stared at each other for a few seconds, then the older-looking girl pointed her finger accusingly at Last Order.

"It's your fault, not Misaka's."

Last Order stood up and peeked through the door. Worst followed suit, and they saw Mikoto slowly walking to the kitchen with her weak legs. They just stared at her destroyed state until she disappeared from their view. The two of them walked back to their respective beds and stared at the blank ceiling.

It's going to be a sleepless night for them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Accelerator was sprawled on the couch. He couldn't sleep because of the noise in the bedroom, which was actually heard in the living room. Suddenly, he stopped hearing the noise, which turned out to be weird for him. Then he heard someone leaving the bedroom with unsteady footsteps echoing through the apartment.

He saw Misaka Mikoto slowly walking to the kitchen. Her posture was wobbly as her small form swayed as she took a step. He also saw her stumbling a few times until she reached the refrigerator. She opened it and grabbed a bottle of water. She sat on a chair, drank the cold water, and placed it on the table.

 _'Something is wrong with her,'_ he thought.

He stood up from the couch and went to the kitchen. When the young girl noticed him approaching, her body stiffened. She rubbed her eyes and hid her face by facing down against her arms on the table.

"Oi, why are you not sleeping in the room?"

He asked. Silence enveloped the apartment for a while, but was suddenly broken by Mikoto's reply.

"I just... couldn't sleep right now... That's all."

Her voice was a bit muffled, but Accelerator heard a sniffle.

"Are you..."

Her body tensed from his voice. He just stared at her small hunched form as he continued his sentence.

"...crying?"

She did not answer his question, but she talked about something else to change the topic.

"Last Order is a really good kid, isn't she..?"

Accelerator stared dumbly at her for a while, then replied.

"If that's what you call a good kid, then she is. What made you say that?"

She wiped her eyes for the second time and lifted her face, but she was not looking at him. She opened her mouth to answer.

"Because she can easily forgive others without holding a deep grudge in her heart..."

Accelerator was about to speak when she silently mumbled the last part of the sentence.

"...unlike me."

He noticed that she had a bitter look on her face as she gazed at nothing. Her eyes were a bit red, which confirmed his suspicions. She then rested her forehead on the palm of her hand as she chuckled half-heartedly.

"Don't you think it would be hard to forgive someone who had done something bad to hurt you?... But that girl handled it nicely, and she immediately forgive those people who have wronged her. Isn't she a peculiar girl?.."

"You know, you're starting to sound creepy and I'm greatly disturbed by it..."

"Ah, sorry about that..."

She chuckled again. Accelerator suddenly felt pissed off with her smile and her chuckles as he clicked his tongue. He confronted her about it, which surprised the young girl.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You look like shit right now."

"..."

She never looked at him, even once, which further angered the white haired boy. Her face turned solemn as she answered him.

"I heard everything... from Last Order."

"So? What the fuck is your problem then? Why are you wearing that irritating expression on your face?"

"You saved her, right?"

His face looked a bit surprised from her question, but he quickly hid it behind a poker face. He responded flatly.

"That's what she said."

"Then..."

She stared at him with dead eyes, and smiled at him again.

"... I should thank you for it."

Accelerator snapped. He couldn't take any of this anymore. He slapped her in the face, and hesitantly withdrew his hand.

"Stop this fucking bullshit and stop making that stupid face in front of me. It irritates me like hell."

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she looked away from him.

"I'm... really useless, don't you think?"

"Huh?... Now you're really-"

"I'm their big sister, yet I couldn't do anything to save them..."

"..."

"...And what's more is that my nemesis is actually able to save them. Isn't that ironic?"

She brought her hands to her eyes as her tears continued to fall on her face. She was now sobbing quietly, unlike what she showed earlier. Accelerator stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Then tell me, am I really worth it to be called their big sister if I couldn't do anything for them?..."

Accelerator's gaze turned a bit soft as he outstretched his hand. Mikoto flinched from his action, but was suddenly surprised at what he actually did.

Accelerator patted her head, just like what Touma did to her on that day.

She was so surprised that she thought her mind actually stopped working. Accelerator looked away from her as he spoke in a serious tone.

"You may not be the one who saved them directly, but you're not useless. Last Order and the Sisters needed you. They're just waiting for you to do something for them, and they know that you're the only one who can do it because you're their big sister. You might already did something for them without you noticing it, so stop moping around and do your work, dumbass."

She stared wide eyed at Accelerator with a hint of a blush on her face. She then wiped her tears away and smiled. But this smile was different, it didn't hide anything in it, just pure sincerity. Accelerator looked back at her with hesitation.

"I never knew you could actually say something like that, bastard. Now I'm starting to believe what Worst said earlier when we got here... What are you, a lolicon?"

A vein popped on his head and he clenched his fists in annoyance. He clicked his tongue and retorted.

"I'm NOT, third rate, so shut the fuck up. Why the fuck am I being plagued by Misakas everywhere?"

Mikoto's eyes looked distant as she stared at Accelerator with a sad smile on her face.

"I guess that's because no one could escape the sins that they committed in the past..."

Accelerator watched as her eyelids slowly closed down. Before she could completely doze off, she muttered the continuation of her statement.

"... including us..."

Then she fell asleep. Accelerator carried her small form on his back to let her sleep in the room as he struggled to walk with his crutch. Suddenly, Yomikawa arrived home, and she saw Accelerator carrying Mikoto on his back. She just smiled at them and commented on how close they became within a single night.

"They sure are comfortable with each other now, huh?"

And the night ended peacefully in Yomikawa's apartment.

Author's note:

This chapter is actually fun to write.

And yes, I actually like writing heart wrenching (XD) scenes, so I included some angsty stuff here.

(In my other account, my story is actually filled with drama in every chapter XD)

See you later guys!


	3. Vigilante

"Those dreams again..."

Misaka Mikoto woke up as she sat up on the bed. She held her temples as a slight headache started to pound her brain. She looked at her surroundings and found out that Last Order and Worst were still asleep on their respective beds. She looked at the small clock on the table beside her bed and saw the time. It read 4:27 a.m.

 _'I woke up this early?'_

Then she remembered what happened last night.

After the surprising revelation, she went out to the kitchen and drank some cold water. Then Accelerator approached her.

Talked to her.

Slapped her.

And patted her on the head.

She didn't quite remember anything much about how their conversation ended, so she concluded that she fell asleep in the kitchen. Then if she really slept in the kitchen, why was she in the room sleeping on Accelerator's bed?

 _'He carried me here?...'_

Mikoto smiled at the thought. She felt her headache go away as she stood up from the bed and went outside the room.

' _Maybe I should drink some tea or something.'_

Then she walked to the kitchen and searched for tea bags in the cupboard. She found it, and proceeded in making her own tea.

Meanwhile, Yomikawa Aiho also went out of the bed and went straight to the kitchen. She saw Mikoto preparing some tea. As she poured the hot liquid into the cup, she saw Yomikawa standing a few meters from her.

"Good morning, Yomikawa-sensei."

"'Morning. You're early."

"I suddenly woke up at this time and I couldn't sleep anymore, so I decided I should drink some tea. I made plenty, would you like some?"

"Ah, sure. Thanks."

Yomikawa sat on a chair as Mikoto poured her a cup of tea. The two of them drank their tea in silence as they sat around the table. When Yomikawa tasted the tea, her eyes widened.

"I never knew you could make tea this good."

"Ah, I was taught that in Tokiwadai. They said it's needed to be a proper lady or something. And I think it's not that good though..."

She said shyly. Yomikawa continued to sip on her tea as she complimented her work.

"No, seriously. It's really good."

"Thank you..."

Then silence again.

"Ah, right. I actually have questions for you."

"Hmm?"

"How did you turn into a 10 year old child?"

"Ah... That's..."

 _'Should I tell her?'_

Her mind debated. If she would tell Yomikawa, they might get in trouble. But she's also an officer of Anti-Skill, that meant she had a right to know because that's their job.

 _'But still...'_

Yomikawa's gaze pierced through her like she's staring directly at her soul. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she gulped a sip of tea. The pressure was a bit intense, and she's not a good liar too.

And she gave up.

She breathed out a deep sigh and dropped her shoulders. She sipped once again before she started her sentence.

"Well, I was walking in an alleyway, and saw some thugs circling a man in a corner."

"Why were you walking in an alleyway? Don't you know that's dangerous?"

Sweat rolled down her face and she sipped again from her cup of tea.

"I-I thought I should go through there because it was actually a shortcut to the dorms..."

Yomikawa sighed at her explanation.

"Then?"

"I helped the man and accompanied him for a while..."

"How did you help him?"

She sipped anxiously once again from her cup, but she found out that it's already empty. She refilled her tea and adjusted her position.

 _'Man, I'm screwed.'_

"I-I gave them a few volts... D-don't worry! It's not that lethal..."

"But still, apprehending criminals is the work of Judgement and Anti-Skill, you should have called us. And using your powers in broad daylight is also not allowed. You should know that."

"Haha... ha..."

She laughed awkwardly. She couldn't help getting involved in situations like that. She somewhat had an extreme sense of heroism, turning her into a vigilante. She knew that she could call Judgement or Anti-Skill, but they're always too late to arrive. And she didn't want to tell Yomikawa what she was thinking, so she accepted the blame for herself.

"I'm sorry about that..."

She bowed her head in defeat.

"You said you accompanied the man, right? What happened after?"

"That guy lead me into a corner then he brought out a strange device."

"A strange device?"

"Yes, and he pointed it to me. Then I lost consciousness."

Yomikawa held her chin as she was thinking. Mikoto stared at her cup of tea as she was lost in her thought.

"Then, when you woke up, you turned into a kid?"

"Yeah... Then you know everything that happened after."

She emptied her cup and placed it back to the saucer. Yomikawa asked her again.

"Can you describe the man?"

"Hmm... He's dark haired and has dead eyes. He also wears a lab coat. I think he's a researcher."

"A researcher, huh. Then we'll help you in this case. But don't get involved in it again. I know you are a high level esper, but you're still a civilian."

"Uh... yeah. I'll take note of that."

Then Yomikawa stood up from her chair.

"Then I should prepare now. I still have work in my class and in Anti-Skill, so I better be early."

Then Mikoto was left alone in the kitchen. She gathered the cups and put it in the sink, then she sat again on her chair. She breathed out a sigh of relief, and leaned her head on her hands.

 _'That was intense...'_

She tried to walk back to the bedroom, but something caught her attention. She glanced in the living room and saw a sleeping Accelerator sprawled on the couch. He had his eyes covered by his arm as he slept peacefully. Mikoto grinned playfully.

 _'So even the strongest esper looked so weak when he's asleep.'_

She turned her back and went to the room. She sat on the bed and arranged her things. She arranged them neatly inside the bag then she noticed something. She pulled it out of the bag, and saw the yellow chick stuffed toy that she had won yesterday. She smiled at the object, then hugged it tightly. She laid back to her bed and tried to sleep because she had nothing else to do.

After three hours of sleep, someone was shaking her vigorously. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Last Order smiling happily at her.

"'Wake up, Onee-sama! We're going outside!' says Misaka as Misaka shakes Onee-sama awake."

"Outside?... What are we gonna do?"

"'We're having breakfast!' says Misaka as Misaka felt excited."

Mikoto sleepily sat up on the bed as she held the stuff toy in her arms. She put it down beside her and stood from the bed.

"Then let me prepare for a while..."

"'Okay Onee-sama!' says Misaka as Misaka agrees."

She looked around the room and saw Worst who was still sprawled all over her bed. She then asked Last Order.

"Aren't we going to wake her up?"

"'No, Worst is not a morning person. She's really scary when Misaka Misaka forced her to wake up,' says Misaka as Misaka shivered from the memory."

"Hey brats. Move faster or I'll leave you here."

The two children looked at the source of the voice and saw Accelerator standing at the doorway. He had an irritated look on his face as always.

"You woke him up?"

"'Yes, he'll pay for the food afterall!' says Misaka as Misaka rushed outside the room."

"Ehh..."

"Tch... You're moving or what?"

She stared at Accelerator and remembered their conversation last night. Then she greeted him with a neutral expression on her face.

"Good Morning, Accelerator."

 _'I guess that's because no one could escape the sins that they committed in the past... including us.'_

That sentence rang in his head as he stared at her. He clicked his tongue and turned away.

"Just prepare already."

When he left, Mikoto went to the bathroom to take a short shower and change her clothes. She brushed her teeth and walked away from the sink.

"I'm done."

"Then we should get going."

The three went out of the apartment and walked the road peacefully. Last Order held Mikoto's hand while Accelerator stood behind them.

"'Misaka Misaka wants to go to the park after breakfast,' says Misaka as Misaka suddenly felt excited."

"I guess that's not bad. What do you think?"

Mikoto glanced back at the white haired boy as she asked for his opinion.

"Do what you want."

"Then let's all go there later."

"'Yay!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka skips happily!"

Mikoto smiled at her little sister. She then glanced back again at Accelerator who had a bothered expression on his face. He noticed her gaze and frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Then they arrived at a family restaurant. They took a seat near the glass windows to have a good view outside. They ordered their food and proceeded to eat. The two little girls ordered the same food, while Accelerator just ordered a cup of coffee. Mikoto noticed this, and asked him.

"Are you okay with just some coffee?"

Accelerator looked at her briefly, then back to his cup. He took a sip before answering the question.

"Yeah."

"No wonder you're so thin. You look like you could break any moment."

A vein popped on his head while Mikoto innocently ate her breakfast. She was enjoying her food so much that she slowed down her pace.

"I'm not going to break that easily brat. And I think I'm perfectly fine."

"If you say so."

Then silence. Last Order noticed the change from the two, as she felt a more peaceful aura compared to that of last night. Before she had fallen asleep, her Onee-sama was in the middle of an emotional turmoil. While Accelerator... still Accelerator. Last Order decided to talk about it.

"'Onee-sama, Misaka Misaka is sorry for what I told you last night. Misaka Misaka didn't expect it to turn that way,' says Misaka as Misaka lowered her head..."

Accelerator stared at Last Order with an unreadable expression on his face, then sipped again from his cup. Mikoto glanced at her, then she sadly smiled.

"Don't worry. It's not your fault..."

Then awkward silence. But Last Order couldn't be stopped from talking with just that, so she asked.

"'Then did something happen between Accelerator and Onee-sama last night?' asked Misaka as Misaka noticed the change."

Mikoto choked on her food while Accelerator stared at her idiotic reaction. She reached for the glass of water and drank lots of it. After she regained her composure, she answered her little sister's question.

"N-nothing much..."

Last Order dropped the bomb that was tormenting Mikoto's mind. She had been thinking about their conversation last night, and she didn't know how to react. She also remembered that Accelerator patted her head and carried her to the room... And now she's entirely confused.

"'Then why is it that Onee-sama looked better now?' asks Misaka as Misaka thought that it's confusing."

"Uhh... Well... I guess I just needed someone to talk to. Yeah, that's it."

Last Order took a bite from her bread before she could talk once more.

"'Then did Onee-sama talked to Accelerator?' asks Misaka as Misaka felt curious."

"Yeah..."

Then Mikoto's face turned somber. Accelerator wondered how fast could the original change her emotions. From flustered to solemn in just a few seconds, that's something.

"It doesn't matter, so hurry up and finish eating your food, brat."

"'Okay,' says Misaka as Misaka resumed eating."

When the three finished eating their breakfast, they went out of the restaurant and went to the park. There were a few children playing there, so Last Order decided to join them while dragging Mikoto with her. Accelerator just sat on the bench under the shade of a tree. He's drinking a can of coffee as usual.

"'Onee-sama! Push Misaka Misaka on the swing!' says Misaka as Misaka wants to fly."

"Sure, but you're not flying..."

"'Okay,' says Misaka as Misaka holds on tightly."

"Then here we go."

Last Order was smiling brightly as she enjoyed the wind blowing on her small frame. On the other hand, Mikoto had a contented expression on her face as she pushed her little sister on the swing.

Suddenly, a boy was being bullied by a group of kids. Last Order noticed this, and she quickly sat up from the swing and ran to their direction. Mikoto was startled from her actions, then followed her shortly. Her little sister stood between the boy and the bullies with a hard gaze.

"'Hey! Don't you know that what you're doing is bad?' says Misaka as Misaka saves the boy."

"Huh? Who do you think you are, standing up against us?"

The bully was obviously taller and bigger than Last Order and the boy behind her as he bent lower to mock her on the face. She just stared at the taller boy with her hazel eyes and stated her name.

"'Misaka Misaka is serial number 20001, also called Last Order!' says Misaka as Misaka introduced herself."

"Huh? What's with that? You're weird."

"Yeah. And what's with that verbal tick?"

The boys stared at each other, and laughed loudly. They stared back at her and smiled a toothy grin.

"We're not the type that hit little girls, but this time it's different."

The boy raised his fist to hit Last Order, but her gaze didn't waver. Mikoto saw this, and looked back at Accelerator who had an alarmed look on his face.

 _'Not good...'_

"Clench your teeth for a while!"

Last Order braced for the hit to come, but it never reached her. The taller boy looked really shocked as another little girl held his fist tightly. Mikoto suddenly appeared and raised her head to glare angrily at the bully. Electricity sparked from her previous post and extended to her feet.

"It's not good to hit on the weak, so back off."

The bully flinched from her glare and quickly withdrew his hand from her grasp. He stepped back a few steps then grinned at her.

"Twins, huh? Then do you think you are worthy to be hit by us?"

Mikoto looked back at Last Order and the boy with a stern look.

"Go to Accelerator quickly."

"'Roger!' says Misaka as Misaka obliged Onee-sama's orders."

They ran beside an infuriated Accelerator. He was about to reach for his choker when he heard Mikoto say something.

"Let me handle this."

The tone of her voice stopped Accelerator as he brought his hand down. Last Order hid behind him as she watched her big sister from afar.

"Back to your question, I think I should be the one to ask you that."

"Huh?! Are you mocking us?!"

Now it's the bully's turn to look infuriated. He had three other boys behind him who stared mockingly at her. She heaved out a sigh as she placed her hands to her hips.

"No I'm not, I'm just speaking the truth. And you don't know how many bigger guys than you have I dealt before who ended up fried in the dark alleyways."

Electricity sparked from her head as she spoke. The boys backed away once more.

"And I think that I should not do the same to little kids because their heart might stop beating if I did that. A kid's body is a lot weaker than that of an adult, you know?"

The boys were speechless as they trembled from her words. She sighed once again as she stared at them with tired eyes.

"But you tried to hurt my little sister, so I won't let you get away with that. I'm really pissed off right now."

A dangerous glint sparkled in her eyes as she spoke with a dark tone. She removed her hands from her hips and pointed at them with her index finger.

"That's why I decided we should settle this in a safer way."

"Huh?"

The boys felt relieved for a second, but tensed immediately after imagining what could the 'safer way' mean.

"We're going to play tag."

"Tag? How are we going to settle things with that?"

Mikoto looked around the playground for a while and stared back at them. She brought out her phone to look at the time.

"This place is a bit spacious, so I guess it's better if we handle it this way. The rules would be like this: I'll be the it. If I managed to tag all of you in a span of 3 minutes, you leave us alone. If I failed, you can do anything you want."

"Why do you think we would play your game?"

"Because it's a win-win situation for you guys. Even if you lose, you'll be able to get away unscathed. Then, are you going to accept my deal?"

The boys looked at each other then grinned.

"I guess we would play with you for a while."

They cracked their knuckles as they stared down at her. She smirked at them as they walked to their respective positions. Accelerator looked at the situation and stared at Mikoto who took it very seriously.

"Hey brat, you're working yourself too much. They're just a bunch of cocky kids. You should be able to whisk them off quickly."

"I have nothing else to do. I'm actually waiting for things like this to feed my boredom. This serves as a warm up."

Then the game started. She stood still for a while until the four kids dispersed a few meters away from her. When they reached a certain distance, she darted forward. She quickly tagged a boy on the back, then went to her next prey. She's always been confident in her speed as she participated in a lot of races before. After she tagged the second boy, he looked at the screen of her phone then closed it hastily.

"2 minutes left."

She ran once again to the other boy, but he stopped and blocked her way with a big rock that he manipulated from the side of the playground.

"Telekinesis?"

"Yeah! I'm a level 2!"

"I guess you leave me with no choice."

She struck the rock with her lightning spear, splitting it in half. The kid stood frozen on his post as electricity sparked dangerously close to his face. The burnt smell and ozone filled his nostrils as Mikoto dashed once again and tagged him. She ran to her next target who was running confidently. When her hands were a few centimeters from his back, he dashed quickly. He ran in a tremendous speed and smirked at her.

"Just so you know, I'm a level three!"

Then Mikoto matched his speed with her powers. Electricity sparked on her trail as she stopped in front of the boy. He had a shocked look on his face as he stopped abruptly, skidding his feet to apply friction on the ground. She whispered something to him before she moved her hand to tag the boy.

"Ah, good for you. I'm a level 5 by the way."

Then her hands touched the boy's shoulder. He was trembling on his knees from what he heard earlier.

"Tagged."

The four boys had a terrified expression on their faces as they ran away from her. She stretched her arms upward in a lax manner.

"That's refreshing!"

"Hey third rate."

Accelerator and the others now stood behind her. She glanced at them with a neutral look.

"What?"

"I never knew you could scare them away like that."

"Oh that."

She scratched the back of her head and grinned sheepishly.

"I guess it's better than hurting them, right?"

Accelerator just clicked his tongue in response. Suddenly, Last Order tackled her from her side and hugged her tightly. She struggled to keep her balance as her little sister admired her little show earlier.

"'Onee-sama is so cool!' says Misaka Misaka in admiration!"

"Wah! Calm down! I'm going to fall!"

"'Oh, sorry Onee-sama,' says Misaka as Misaka freed Onee-sama from her embrace."

"Uhh... Um..."

"Hmm?"

Mikoto and Last Order stared at the little boy they saved earlier. He bowed his head and stated his gratitude.

"Thank you for saving me!"

As he still had his head bowed down, Mikoto patted his head. He looked up and stared at the girl who scared the bullies away. She had a soft smile on her face as the boy stood up straight. _'I guess she's not that scary.'_ he thought.

"Just don't get in trouble that much. If you sensed danger, move away. It's not bad to retreat for once."

"Y-yeah... I'll remember that."

"Let's go home. Worst must be awake by now."

Accelerator said as he turned his back to walk away. Last Order and Mikoto followed him, but they stopped for a while when the little boy called out for them.

"W-wait!"

"Hmm?"

Mikoto looked back at the boy who had a tint of blush on his cheeks. He flustered and gathered up his courage to say his next sentence.

"M-my name is Ueda Shirou! Th-thank you again for saving me..."

She smiled at the boy who just stared at her in awe. She also introduced herself to him in response.

"I'm Misaka Mikoto, and you're welcome, Shirou-kun."

Then they walked away from the playground as Shirou was left on his position. He repeated her name with a smile on his face.

"Misaka... Mikoto."

Accelerator glanced back at the boy as he heard him mutter the original's name. He glared at him dangerously with his crimson eyes, which made the boy tremble in fear. He looked back in front of him as he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Hey third rate, you should stop saving little boys, it's irritating."

"Huh..?"

Mikoto stared at him with confusion painted on her face.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Tch. Forget what I fucking said."

"Okay..?"

Then they walked back to the apartment just like usual.

* * *

Author's note:

Huehue lol it's been a long time since I updated, but anyway, I still updated, that is important.

 _'You should stop saving little boys'_ , huh. I wonder what that means... XD

NEXT CHAPTER!

The latter half of the day. Fluffity fluffity fluff. The freaking couch. Yeah. Don't expect that much XD


	4. The Latter Half of the Day

It's already 3 o'clock in the afternoon in Academy City, but in a certain apartment, the day had just started.

A certain white haired teen was sitting on the couch with a grumpy expression. In front of him were two identical little girls chatting with each other. And also, an older version of the two girls sat beside him, clinging on his arm. The entire scene was really irritating for him, but he couldn't do anything.

Meanwhile, the two little girls were chatting about different things, and it ended up into a get-to-know-you-better session.

"'Misaka Misaka wanted to know Onee-sama better!' says Misaka as Misaka brought out a notebook."

"Eh... How are you going to do that?"

"'Misaka Misaka will ask Onee-sama some questions,' says Misaka as Misaka scribbles in her notebook."

"Oh, okay then. Where shall we start?"

Last Order held her chin in a thinking position then brightened up when she thought of an idea. She held her note with her left hand and a pen with her right. Her big sister was sitting in a seiza as she waited for her barrage of questions.

"'Then, we'll start with your name!' says Misaka as Misaka waited for an answer."

"Eh? You know that already."

"'It's just for formality, Onee-sama. Now please answer the question,' says Misaka as Misaka readies herself."

The original let out a sigh as she changed her sitting position into a much comfortable one.

"'What's your name?'"

"Misaka Mikoto."

"'Age?'"

"14."

"'Then when is your birthday?'"

"May 2."

Last Order continued to scribble her answers in her notebook as Mikoto stared at her.

"'Body measurements?'"

"Can I not answer that..?"

Her little sister pouted at her answer. She heaved out a sigh and blushed in return.

"Th-that's secret information! And I think you already know that. Furthermore, it's actually rude to ask a girl about their measurements, especially if-"

"Their chest is as flat as a board?"

"Yea-NO! Wait, what?!"

Worst snickered from her reaction. Mikoto glared angrily at her as a vein popped in her head.

"You..."

"What?"

Mikoto pointed her index finger at the taller girl as she fumed in anger. Sparks flew from her hair as she shouted her outburst.

"I'm still older than you, so learn to respect me just a little!"

"Misaka believes that you don't act like one."

"What did you say?!"

Now Misaka Mikoto is extremely pissed. Sparks danced on her small form as she trembled in irritation. She was blushing really hard that she might faint any moment. She clenched her fists as she was about to retaliate to Worst's teasing but was stopped by Last Order.

"'Onee-sama, please don't mind her. Misaka Misaka is still asking you some questions,' says Misaka as Misaka calls for Onee-sama's attention."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."

Finally, she calmed down. She sat on the floor and waited for her next question.

"'Then, what is your favorite possession?' says Misaka as Misaka was interested at Onee-sama's tastes."

"Hmm… Favorite, huh?"

She held her chin as she thought deeply. Then she looked up as she gave her answer.

"I guess it's my phone then."

"'Ooohh.'"

"This Misaka thinks that Onee-tama's tastes are so childish."

"Shut up, Worst."

Last Order scribbled again in her notebook. Mikoto looked irritated from Worst's side comments.

"'Then, what is your favorite past time?' Misaka Misaka inquires."

"Reading manga at the convenience store, I guess. Oh, and also helping out Judgement on my free time."

"Stand-reading is the most appropriate term for that, Onee-tama."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Last Order looked up from her notes then asked another question.

"Then, what is your favorite subject at school?"

"Eh? I don't have anything in particular, but… I guess I liked all the subjects equally."

"As expected from an honor student."

"Do you want me to stitch your mouth for you?"

"That would be a great help, but no thanks."

Then the most unexpected question was asked.

"'Do you have someone you like?' asks Misaka as Misaka crossed over the boundaries of personal information."

Mikoto choked as she heard her question. She was coughing vigorously from the suddenness of her little sister as she blushed profusely. Worst was snickering in the corner while the other person beside her that was trying so hard to ignore their worthless conversation suddenly twitched in his position. As the original composed herself, she tried to give another set of excuses to dodge the question.

"Th-tha-that's too personal! I'm not going to answer that!"

"So that means Onee-tama's hiding something."

"I'M NOT!"

She suddenly stood up from her position. She blushed a darker shade of red in embarrassment. Her hair stood on its end as she sparked with electricity. Worst made fun of her once again like she was her toy, her pet, or anything in between.

"Ohohohoho Onee-tama is so easy to read."

"'Who could that person be?' thought Misaka as Misaka wondered about it."

"Misaka guesses that it might be someone that we know."

"I-it's none of your business! Besides that idiot is just someone who butts into other people's business, so he's out of the question!"

"Oh~~~ Misaka didn't mention anyone."

Worst smiled a devilish grin. Mikoto suddenly digested what she just said and steam went out of her head. She's now uttering nonsense as she started to lose her senses. Last Order was waving her hand above her face to bring her out of her stupor, but she didn't budge. She's just a second away from fainting when he heard someone talk straight-forwardly.

"So it's that hero then."

Accelerator was keeping silent a few minutes ago, but he suddenly talked out of nowhere. Another steam went out of her head before she fell limply on the ground. He delivered the last blow, and she fainted as a result. The three gathered around her to wake her up and stared down at her unconscious form.

"Oi third rate. You hanging in there?"

"BWAHAHAHA! For Onee-tama to faint like that, this is extremely hilarious! My sides! I can't take this anymore!"

"'Onee-sama! Wake up!' says Misaka as Misaka nudged her shoulder."

And she was left unconscious for almost two hours.

* * *

"Ugh…What the hell…?"

She rose up from her positon as she felt a wet towel on her forehead. She removed it and stared at her surroundings. She is now sitting on the couch as the three other residents stared back at her with different emotions on their faces. Last Order had a worried look while Worst looked like she was trying so hard not to laugh. On the other hand, Accelerator stared at her with a neutral expression on his face while drinking a can of coffee.

"So you're finally awake."

"Yeah…"

She held the side of her head as another headache pounded in her brain. It was like the one she experienced earlier this morning, not so strong but still painful. Last Order noticed this and approached worriedly at her side.

"'Onee-sama, are you okay?' asks Misaka as Misaka noticed that something is wrong."

She retreated her hand from her head as she forced out a smile. She gently patted her little sister's head as she stared at her.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

' _I don't want to worry them that much…'_

"Are you sure about that? You look pale."

Accelerator pointed out. She just smiled at him and answered.

"Yeah. I'm feeling fine."

"If you say so."

He sipped from his can of coffee and continued to ignore his surroundings. Suddenly, Last Order's face brightened up as she thought of an idea.

"'Misaka Misaka wants to propose something!' says Misaka as Misaka raised her hand."

The three other people in the room stared at her as she beamed happily.

"What is it?"

"'Misaka Misaka wants to play house!' says Misaka as Misaka wanted to try something different."

"House..?"

Accelerator clicked his tongue. Mikoto just stared at her little sister with a neutral expression as she sat comfortably on the couch. Worst had a bored expression as she found Last Order's idea to be boring. Last Order continued to beam at the three as her ahoge* wagged in excitement.

"'What do you think, Onee-sama?' asks Misaka as Misaka wants to know your opinion."

"Uh... I guess it's okay..."

She smiled awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head.

 _'I think I'm too old to play that... but I guess I should just play along.'_

"I refuse."

Accelerator said as he turned his back from them. He sipped again from his coffee as he sat on the floor. He held his temples as he felt that he'll be having a headache.

"'Ehhhh? Why not?' asks Misaka as Misaka whines at Accelerator's decision."

"It's stupid. I'm not a kid."

"'Then who will play as the father?' asks Misaka as Misaka pouts from his answer."

Then Worst smirked at the corner as she stared at her big sister.

"Misaka thinks that Onee-tama is manly enough to take the role."

"Oi."

Mikoto forgot about her headache as she glared at Worst. Last Order puffed her cheeks as she continued to persuade Accelerator to play with her.

"'Accelerator! You are not allowed to refuse!' says Misaka as Misaka points her finger at him."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"'Because Misaka Misaka says so,' says Misaka as Misaka stared intently at Accelerator."

The two looked like they were having a staring contest as they stared at each others eyes. Last Order had a determined look in her eyes while Accelerator had his usual bored gaze. Soon enough, the white haired boy sighed in defeat and raised his hands.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll play with you just this once."

"'Then, let Misaka Misaka assign the roles!' says Misaka as Misaka pumps up in excitement!"

She stared at the three awkward people intently then stopped at Accelerator.

"'You will be the father,' says Misaka as Misaka states the obvious."

"Yeah, yeah. You said that earlier."

He sat at the other end of the couch with a bored expression on his face. Then Last Order turned to Mikoto and pointed her index finger at her.

"'Onee-sama will play as the mother!' says Misaka as Misaka thought about it deeply."

"Eh? Me?"

Mikoto pointed at herself in disbelief.

"Why? I think it would be better if I will be the big sister because I really am. And I'm a kid right now. Ain't that awkward..?"

"Misaka agrees. Onee-tama is too childish to be the mother, and Misaka should be together with Tou-san."

"What do you mean by that?"

Then Last Order shook her head with a victorious smile on her face.

"'Hmmhmm. Misaka Misaka thinks that you failed to understand something,' says Misaka as Misaka states proudly."

"Huh?"

Last Order stared at her big sister with a proud face.

"'Misaka Misaka thinks that Onee-sama is far more suited to be the mother rather than Worst,' says Misaka as Misaka proudly explains."

"Why is that?"

"'According to Testament, a mother is a caring person, and she would do anything for her children. Misaka Misaka can see that in Onee-sama, so she is suited for the role,' says Misaka as Misaka crosses her arms."

Mikoto just stared at her little sister with an unreadable expression on her face.

"'And most importantly...'"

Last Order stared at the bored Worst and pointed her finger accusingly at the older looking girl.

"'Do you think that Worst is that kind of a character?! She might destroy the family if she became the mother!' says Misaka as Misaka exclaimed with a horrified expression."

Then Mikoto imagined the scenario in her mind and immediately agreed with her little sister.

"You're right. She shouldn't be the mother. Never."

"'So Misaka Misaka decided that Worst should be the aunt!' says Misaka as Misaka exclaims dramatically."

"Huh? Misaka couldn't understand why."

Last Order sat on the floor and hugged the Gekota stuffed toy in her arms.

"'Just felt like it, and also, Misaka Misaka will be the daughter!' says Misaka as Misaka couldn't think of a better role for Worst."

Worst didn't look pleased from her answer and started to sulk in the corner from boredom. On the other hand, Mikoto stared at her little sister who had her hand on her chin. She looked like she was thinking deeply, so she asked her about it.

"Hey, Last Order. Is something wrong?"

"'Misaka Misaka couldn't understand.'"

"Eh?"

Last Order raised her head and gazed at her big sister. She had a confused look on her face while Mikoto stared at her with curiosity in her eyes.

"'Misaka Misaka knows what a family is from the knowledge that we obtained from Testament, but Misaka Misaka still couldn't understand it all,' says Misaka as Misaka felt really confused."

"Oh..."

That was an expected reaction. As they were lives created by a machine, they never experienced what a family was. Even though they had Testament to provide them with necessary knowledge, it was not enough to understand things that they didn't experience.

Mikoto's face turned somber as she stared at the confused Last Order. She ruffled her little sister's hair gently as her gaze turned soft. She knew that things like this were inevitable, but she couldn't help not to blame herself for everything.

She thought that it was all her fault.

Suddenly, Last Order's face brightened as she stared admiringly at her big sister.

"'Then, Onee-sama should know what a family is right?' asks Misaka as Misaka thought of am idea."

"Eh?"

"'Accelerator is also unaware on what a family is, and Worst is the same. Onee-sama is the only one who experienced being a part of a family, that's why you should tell Misaka Misaka what your family is like!' says Misaka as Misaka expected an answer."

Accelerator clicked his tongue in annoyance as he heard what Last Order said. Now that she mention it, Mikoto noticed that he never said anything about his past, even his true name. All she knew was he is Accelerator, he is the strongest level 5, and he was the one who slaughtered her sisters to achieve absolute power. Back to the topic, she thought that she could tell them about it.

"My family, huh..."

She smiled as she remembered her childhood memories with her mother when they were still together.

"My mom would always fix things for me when I was little. She would cook me some delicious food, then we would sometimes play outside. She's always there for me, and she never failed to attend the different events I participated in."

"'Woah... She sounds like a very kind person,' says Misaka as Misaka in admiration."

Then she smiled sheepishly as she pointed out the different quirks of her eccentric mother.

"Uh... But sometimes, Mama can be a total idiot. And she couldn't handle her liquor too. She transforms into something crazier when she's drunk."

She heaved out a sigh as she remembered those days. Unknowingly, the white haired boy shivered from her description. He felt like he met someone like that before, and it's quite traumatic for him. Last Order then asked another question.

"'Then, how about Onee-sama's father?' asks Misaka as Misaka felt curious."

"Well, Papa is..."

Suddenly, Mikoto's gaze turned distant. She didn't have that much memories with her father because he's always far away. Her mother would always tell her when she was little that he's traveling around the world and is saving many people like a superhero. She only saw him a few times when she was still a child, but it has been so long when she last saw him. But despite all that, she missed him. So much.

Last Order noticed the change in her behavior as she stared worriedly at her big sister.

"'Are you okay, Onee-sama? Did Misaka Misaka ask the wrong question?' asks Misaka as Misaka stared at Onee-sama's lonely expression."

"Ah, no! It's okay."

"'Are you sure?' asks Misaka as Misaka noticed some change in your reaction."

"It's okay, really."

Then she took a deep breath and continued her sentence.

"My Papa is a great person. From my mother's description, he travels the world and saves a lot of people. I don't see him that much, but he would always try to keep in touch with us."

"'That's amazing!' says Misaka as Misaka exclaimed in awe."

Mikoto smiled softly at her little sister and patted her head. That was the same reaction she had whenever her mother would tell her about her father's adventures when she was little. It gave her a nostalgic feeling as her gaze turned distant once again.

 _'I wonder what he's doing right now...'_

"But really, calling your parents 'Mama' and 'Papa' sounds pretty childish for this Misaka."

"You!"

Worst suddenly interjected, destroying the atmosphere. Mikoto sparked with electricity once again as her sister made fun of her for the umpteenth time.

"And I think Onee-tama's father is just an irresponsible man. Using a half-assed reason like 'saving people' as an excuse and leaving his child alone, that sounds bullshit to Misaka."

"That's..."

Mikoto couldn't say anything. Worst glared at her and it felt like its piercing into her soul. She also thought like this at some point in her life, and hearing it from her sister stabbed her heart. Her face darkened as she lowered her head. Her hair covered the unreadable expression on her face as she gripped the covers of the couch.

On the other hand, Worst actually felt really irritated from her Onee-tama's description of her father. She didn't know why, but she felt her anger levels increase from the distant look in her eyes. She thought that maybe the Misaka Network was dumping her again with negative emotions, which lead her to feel irritated over something so trivial.

Her sisters mirrored every fiber of her being. It's not just their physical appearance, but it also reached something psychological. They reflect every positive and negative aspect of her perfectly that sometimes it felt painful for her to watch. Right now, Worst mirrored her longing for her father. It might not happen very often, but she sometimes felt angry at him for leaving her alone. She would also feel the need to seek for a father figure that she somehow lacked, and you couldn't blame her for that. For fourteen years, she grew up without her father by her side, and she only saw him for a few number of times.

But before things would escalate, Accelerator suddenly spoke.

"Let's forget everything about that for now. And Worst, watch your words."

"Tch. You talk big for a potty mouthed teenager, Tou-san."

Mikoto remained silent. Her sister's words bothered her as she contemplated on her feelings. Did she really need a father in her life? Could he, by any chance, miss her too? How does she looked in his eyes? Is she really important to him? If yes, then why did he choose his work over her? She knew that she learned a lot of things from him, and she also enjoyed the rare times that he would go home to their house to pay a visit, but his absence left a gaping hole in her heart. She felt confused with her feelings for she couldn't understand the inner turmoil in her heart.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms circling around her small form. As she was startled back to reality, she saw Last Order hugging her in a tight embrace. She felt something wet on her shirt and noticed that her little sister was crying. She became flustered for she couldn't understand why Last Order was crying against her. She didn't know what to do at situations like this, so she asked awkwardly.

"W-why are you crying..?!"

Last Order tightened her embrace as she answered her big sister's question.

"'Onee-sama must be feeling really lonely without her dad, and Misaka Misaka thought that she shouldn't have asked you about that,' says Misaka as Misaka hugged Onee-sama to comfort her."

 _'Lonely...?'_

That single word echoed in her mind. Did she really feel lonely without him? She didn't know, but she would always feel a twinge in her heart whenever her father was mentioned. Maybe, she really did feel lonely in his absence.

She returned her embrace and wrapped her arms around Last Order. She gently caressed her back to stop her from crying.

"Stop crying. It's not that of a big deal, and I'm kinda used to this situation. I know that my father is not with me, but what's important is that he still cares for me and my mom. And I think that's commendable enough."

Last Order looked up to stare directly into her eyes as tears rolled down on her cheeks.

"'Really...?'"

"Yeah."

Mikoto removed her hand from her back and wiped the tears on her little sister's face. Her lips curved up into a soft smile as she stared back at Last Order's eyes.

"I'm okay, so stop crying."

"'Okay...'"

Last Order released her from the hug and wiped the tears in her eyes with her dainty hands. Accelerator just stared at them as he emptied his can of coffee.

 _'It's really hard to deal with over dramatic brats...'_

Suddenly, Mikoto approached the sulking Worst and pulled her into an embrace. Worst looked really shocked from her action because she never experienced something like this before. As her big sister pulled away, she asked her a question.

"What was that?"

"I just wanted to thank you. You made me realize a lot of things about myself, so I guess I needed to thank you for that."

Worst just stared at her with an unreadable emotion in her eyes, then hastily gazed away.

"Misaka knew it. Onee-tama really is an idiot."

"Gah-!"

 _'I take back what I said.'_

Mikoto stiffened in her position as she sparked in annoyance. But she couldn't bring herself to zap her, because she's also one of her sisters. She breathed out a sigh as she calmed herself and face palmed from her words.

"Ah, I don't care anymore. You're too hard to handle..."

She sat back down on the other end of the couch, leaving a huge space between her and Accelerator. She's still not comfortable in his presence, but she thought that she's slowly getting used to it. The past just broke them inside so much that it left a permanent scar in their hearts. But sometimes, talking to him and to Last Order made her forget about what he did to her and to her sisters.

Staring at the three people in front of her gave her an ominous feeling. Even if they didn't talk to each other, there was some sort of connection between them. Almost like a...

"Family?"

She suddenly spoke. The three stared at her with a confused look. She just waved her hands as she explained herself.

"Ah, I-I actually thought that you guys are pretty close, like a family! Y-yeah, that's it."

"'A family?'"

"Yeah!"

She smiled softly as she tried to explain her thoughts. Last Order stared at her expectantly.

"It is not just blood that connects a family. A family is composed of people that you feel comfortable with, even if you're not blood related. You can consider a very close friend as a family, too. I think if people are connected in their hearts, they can be called a family."

Then her mind shifted to her friends, and she smiled gently. An image of three young girls appeared in her mind as she remembered everything that they have gone through.

 _'I hope they're not worrying about me that much...'_

But knowing them, that's impossible. They might be panicking right now. That's why she needed to finish this fast and revert back to her original age.

"That sounded so cheesy, Onee-tama... Misaka's ears almost bled from your words..."

"Ah. Way to ruin the moment."

"'So Misaka Misaka already had a family?!' asks Misaka as Misaka stated excitedly."

"Yeah."

"'That's great!' says Misaka as Misaka exclaims in delight!"

Last Order smiled brightly at her big sister. On the other hand, Accelerator remained silent. Things like family and friends were foreign to him. Is it that great to have one? He lived his entire life without them, so he thought it's not that important. But he thought that it's not that bad to have someone he could return to. Like Last Order.

"'Oh, it's already this late,' says Misaka as Misaka noticed the time."

"And Misaka still haven't eaten dinner..."

"Tch. No one is able to cook here..."

"Is that so..?"

 _'Well, fast food didn't taste as good as homemade cooking... but...'_

Then Last Order suddenly turned to her with a bright smile on her face.

"'Then, can Onee-sama cook?' asks Misaka as Misaka wants to taste your cooking."

"E-eh?! I guess I can..."

She lived in a dormitory filled with rich Ojou-samas, and it provided them with everything they need. She was thought how to cook a few dishes before, but she didn't have much confidence in her cooking. It's been a long time since she last cooked for herself so she's a bit nervous. But with a smiling little girl in front of her, she couldn't refuse. She breathed out a deep sigh of defeat.

"Then I guess I'll cook then..."

"'Yay!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka felt really excited."

Then she walked to the kitchen while the three stared at her. Beads of sweat rolled down her back as she felt the pressure emanating from their stares. She glanced back at them with tired eyes.

"Would you please stop staring? It feels REALLY uncomfortable..."

"Who knows what you'll put in there. You might put some inedible things in there and poison us."

"I'm not that ignorant, so mind your own business."

She glared at Accelerator as she opened the fridge. When she checked, it had a few vegetables and spices in there. She brought them out and shuffled the cupboard.

"I guess I'll go with curry then."

Then she started in preparing the ingredients. On the other hand, Accelerator, Last Order, and Worst formed a circle as they sat in the living room. The little girl had a bright smile on her face, while the two looked sceptical. They felt really bothered from the fact that an Ojou-sama was cooking for them.

"Tou-san, don't you think that this is a bad idea?"

"But we don't have a choice."

"Misaka might not be able to live to see the rays of the sun again!"

"Who cares about that?"

Worst then turned to the smiling Last Order and asked her while grabbing her shoulders.

"Why did you let her cook! Onee-tama might kill us!"

"Eh? Misaka Misaka wants to eat Onee-sama's cooking,' says Misaka as Misaka stated the obvious."

"Do you think Onee-tama can cook? She might put poison in there..."

"'Just trust Onee-sama in this!' says Misaka as Misaka puts all her trust in her."

Then Worst breathed out a sigh. Accelerator grabbed a lot of cans of coffee and kept a box of aspirin in his pocket.

"What are you doing, Tou-san?"

"Preparing myself."

He opened a can and sipped from it. He looked a bit bothered by it, because he also thought that this was a bad idea.

"Misaka should also prepare herself..."

"I can actually hear you."

A voice from the kitchen reached the living room. Worst suddenly grabbed a paper and scribbled on it. Last Order peeked from her shoulder curiously.

"'What are you doing?' asks Misaka as Misaka inquires."

"I'm writing my last will."

"Oi. I can still hear you though!"

After a few minutes, Mikoto entered the living room with an apron on with her hands on her hips. She had an irritated look on her face as she stared at the people in front of her.

"I'm finished cooking."

"Great. Misaka is also finished in writing her last will."

"It's not that bad, so hurry up."

Then the trio followed her to the kitchen. A delicious smell reached their noses as they stared at the food that the original has prepared for them. It's curry. A normal looking one. The two breathed out a sigh of relief while the young girl quickly sat down on her chair.

"I'm sorry. This is the only thing that I could prepare after a short notice..."

"'It's okay! Misaka Misaka thinks that it's great!' says Misaka as Misaka wants to try it immediately."

As she filled Last Order's plate, the two awkward misfits gulped nervously. They waited for the young girl's reaction as she tasted the normal looking curry.

Suddenly, Last Order's face brightened up.

"'It's delicious!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka liked it!"

"Eh? I guess that's great."

Then Mikoto pulled the strings of her apron and put it away. She folded it neatly before she kept it inside a drawer. She sat down on the chair beside Last Order and tried to taste her own cooking. She breathed out a deep sigh of relief.

"I guess it's okay..."

 _'I'm glad it didn't turn out bad...'_

Then she gazed at Accelerator and Worst who was staring at the curry with suspicious looks.

"It's edible, so stop staring like idiots and sit down already."

The two sat hesitantly and stared at the harmless curry in front of them. Mikoto just breathed out a sigh and continued eating. Meanwhile, Last Order was enjoying her food so much that she had some sauce on her face. Her big sister noticed it and brought out a tissue to wipe it off.

"Ah, you had some sauce on your face."

"'Eh?"'

Then Last Order frantically wiped it off with her hands, but she just smeared it further. Mikoto lend a hand and stretched her hand to clean her face.

"Here let me help you."

She used the tissue to wipe the sauce off of her face. When she finished, Last Order beamed a bright smile at her and she smiled in return.

"'Thank you, Onee-sama!' says Misaka as Misaka expresses her gratitude. And also, Misaka Misaka wants seconds!"

"Sure. Here you go."

Mikoto stopped eating for a while and stared fondly at Last Order. She had a small smile on her face as she watched her little sister eat her dinner. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand as she felt relaxed from the sight.

The two misfits stared at the scene before them. They thought that the original would really look like Last Order's mother if she had not turned into a ten year old kid. They simultaneously stared at the food before them and shakily grabbed the spoon. They slowly lifted it up and put it slowly into their mouths. Mikoto's attention shifted to them as she waited for their reaction. After they swallowed their food, they breathed out a sigh.

"Normal."

"Mediocre."

"Stop judging my cooking skills and eat it."

Then the four peacefully ate their dinner. After that, Mikoto proceeded to wash the dishes with a gloomy expression. Last Order stared at her from the side while the other two went back to their original positions in the living room. She breathed out a sigh as she stared tiredly at the dishes in front of her.

 _'Ugh. Did they just let me stay here so that I'll do the household chores for them?!'_

"'Onee-sama, can Misaka Misaka help you?' asks Misaka as Misaka wanted to lend a hand."

"You don't have to. I can handle this myself."

"'Okay, Onee-sama,' says Misaka as Misaka sat back down on the chair."

After she finished washing the dishes, she went to the room and grabbed some clothes. She decided that she'll take a bath before she head to bed. Last Order followed her every movement like a chick to a mother hen. She stared back at the little girl who looked at her in admiration.

"Do you want to take a bath with me..?"

"'Yeah!' says Misaka as Misaka runs to prepare her clothes."

Then Last Order ran to get some clothes while Mikoto prepared the bath. After a few minutes, the younger girl entered the bathroom and the two identical little girls took a bath peacefully in their own sanctuary.

Meanwhile, Worst already went to the bedroom to sleep. Accelerator was left alone in the living room as he stared at the ceiling. The whole day tired him out. He sat comfortably on the couch as he remembered everything that happened today.

They went out for breakfast.

They went to a park.

The two played on a stupid swing.

Then saved a weak-willed child from stupid bullies.

Watched the original as she curbstomped the stupid bullies.

Went home.

Long period of boring nonsense and stupid fastfood lunch.

She fainted.

Forced to play some stupid children's game.

Then ate some decent dinner.

A lot of things could really happen in one day, and he felt really tired. He was about to close her eyes when two little girls suddenly went out of the bathroom. The energetic girl was running to the bedroom while the calmer one dried her hair with a bath towel. They both wear a matching set of pajamas that they almost looked like the typical twins. One of them noticed him and stopped walking to stare at him.

"You seem really tired."

"That's because I'm dealing with two brats."

"Hey. You caused me a lot of trouble too."

"Yeah, right."

Then she huffed her cheeks and continued walking to the bedroom. Accelerator sighed and closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. His eyes would always flutter open when he tried to sleep. It felt really irritating for him, so he shifted to a much comfortable position.

Inside the bedroom, Last Order jumped up and down on her bed. Mikoto just stared at her from her bed with a smile on her face.

"'This set of pajamas is the best!' says Misaka as Misaka jumps in joy!"

"Be careful! You might fall off from the bed!"

The pajamas that Last Order wore was a new set that they bought on their way home from the park. Mikoto thought that she should buy more clothes because she thought she might stay longer based from the slow progress of events. Then they saw a cute pair of pajamas that they both liked at first sight and decided to buy it.

Mikoto shuffled through her bag and kept her newly purchased clothes. She closed the backpack and stood up from her position.

"I'm just going to do my laundry."

"'Wait, Onee-sama.'"

"Hmm?"

Last Order laid her back down on the bed as she hugged the Gekota stuffed toy in her arms. She stared at her big sister with pleading eyes as she spoke her request.

"'Can Onee-sama stay by Misaka Misaka's side until she falls asleep?' asks Misaka as Misaka selfishly wants Onee-sama's presence."

"Eh? Sure."

Then she sat at the side of the bed and tucked Last Order beneath a warm blanket. She reached for her head and ran her fingers gently through her hair. Her little sister relaxed from her gentle touch as she felt safer with her.

"'Misaka Misaka is really grateful,' says Misaka as Misaka gazes at the ceiling."

"Hmm? For what?"

"'For giving Accelerator a chance,' says Misaka as Misaka continued."

"Ah, that..."

Her gaze turned distant as she gathered her thoughts. She didn't know what to think of Accelerator. He was the one who slaughtered her sisters, but there are times that she almost forgot about it. He's a jerk, but he can be sensible sometimes. It felt weird.

As she looked back at Last Order, she's already asleep. She tucked her properly underneath a thick blanket and stood up from her position. Before she headed out of the room, she kissed her little sister's forehead a goodnight kiss. As she reached the doorway, she heard someone snickering across the room. Blood rushed to her face as she realized who it was.

"Onee-tama is acting so motherly~ Can Misaka have a goodnight kiss too?"

"Sh-shut up!"

Then she slammed the door. Worst pouted childishly as she was left alone.

"But Misaka actually feels jealous from the difference in treatment..."

Then she hid under a blanket and drifted off to sleep again.

Mikoto was doing her laundry late at night. She thought she should organize her things properly, especially right now that she's staying at another person's apartment. She breathed out a sigh as she put the wet clothes inside the dryer. She suddenly felt thirsty so she went to the kitchen to drink some water.

Mikoto sat on a chair with a glass of water in her hands. The day really tired her out. She drank the water and headed to the sink.

But something happened.

She felt another headache rush through her and accidentally dropped the glass she was holding. A loud crash echoed from the kitchen as she held unto one of of the chairs for balance. She tried to sit down and held her temples. This headache is a lot painful compared to what she experienced earlier. She tried to ease her breathing to soothe the pain away.

The loud crash from the kitchen caught the attention of a white haired boy in the living room. He cautiously stood up and walked with his crutch to check. As he peeked into the kitchen, he saw a broken glass on the floor and the original who was sitting on a chair. She held her temples protectively and she also looked flushed. She had her eyes tightly closed as she gritted her teeth. She failed to notice the other person who was staring at her with observant eyes.

"Third rate."

"!"

Mikoto abruptly turned her head to the source of the voice. From there she saw Accelerator who was leaning on his crouch with an unreadable expression on his face. She tried to smile to tell him that she's okay but his facial expression didn't change a bit.

"I-I kinda screwed up... and made a mess."

"..."

Accelerator approached closer to her without saying a word. She flinched away, but he continued to move closer. When he's directly in front of her, he leaned down to her face and stared with his crimson eyes. She blushed furiously as their faces were mere inches apart. Her mind blurred like muddy water and felt something touch her forehead. She was brought back to her senses as she heard him talk with his deep voice.

"You had a fever."

"Eh..?"

She can feel his breath on her face as he spoke. He retreated slowly then proceeded in picking up the broken shards of glass from the floor, and he also swept the floor for added measures. He looked like he's struggling with his crutch as he did the cleaning. After that, he stared back at Mikoto who was red all over.

"Can you stand?"

"E-eh? Wh-who do you think I am..?! I'm feeling fine!"

She abruptly stood up from her chair, but her knees buckled. She felt like her world swirled into an abstract mess as she fell forward. A pair of strong hands (with a crutch?) caught her fall and her flushed face landed on his chest. Her breathing turned uneven as she succumbed into the pain that pounded her head.

"Stop acting so strong and rest, brat."

"B-but... I..."

"No buts. Hold onto me."

She did what he exactly told her to do, but she was too weak to tighten her hold. Accelerator sighed and reached for his choker. A click was heard and Mikoto stiffened. A strange chill ran down her spine as she imagined what could the strongest esper do to her with his powers turned on. The boy breathed out a sigh as he noticed her reaction.

"I'm not going to fucking hurt you, dammit."

Then he shifted his hold and let go of his crutch. Accelerator carried Mikoto bridal style and went to the living room. This action shocked the girl as she gripped his shirt for support. When they entered the room, he brought her down and rested her body on the couch. He suddenly turned his back and headed back to the kitchen.

Mikoto was sweating profusely because of her high body temperature. Her senses swirled as her headache reached its intensity. She couldn't do anything as her body felt so heavy for her to move. She closed her eyes and started to stabilize her breathing.

Suddenly, she heard light footsteps and felt something cold and wet touch her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw Accelerator standing with his crutch. He must have turned the choker off in the kitchen. He stared at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Why... are you... doing this..?"

Mikoto asked weakly. Her vision began to waver as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Accelerator clicked his tongue before he answered.

"Last Order would be lonely if she would see you like this, stupid."

The cold towel soothed her headache as her body relaxed. Accelerator turned away to leave her alone and sleep in the room, but a small hand weakly grabbed his own. He looked back at the original who was breathing unevenly due to fever.

"Don't... go..."

The look in her eyes stopped him, then he breathed out a sigh. He slowly sat down on the floor beside the couch and watched her with defeated eyes.

Mikoto slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Her breathing started to stabilize as her body relaxed in its position. Accelerator felt his sleepiness kick in and rested his head on the couch, a few inches beside her shoulder, to rest his body and sleep.

The two level 5s slept peacefully in the living room. The 3rd strongest was lying down on the couch while the strongest esper in Academy City had his head rested on the same couch.

Little did they know that their hands were still linked to each other.

They might freak out if they noticed.

* * *

Author's note:

Ahahaha sorry for the late update. (I'm always late, dammit.) A lot of things happened, and motivation is quite difficult to find... So yeah.

And it's 7000+ words. I got carried away. XD

I don't know what will happen in the next chapter, so just wait for it.


	5. First Move

"So, how did the plan go?"

A brown haired woman in a white lab coat leaned her right hand on the computer's side to peek at the monitor. It showed different graphs and numbers as it glowed in the dimly lit room. The bald man in front of the computer glanced at her to answer.

"I don't know. Our people couldn't find our subject, they even forgot to put a tracking device on her."

He scratched his shaved head from his comrade's failure. He continued to stare at the monitor and typed with his slender hands. Suddenly, a dark haired man with dead eyes laughed maniacally. His lips curved into a menacing grin as he forcefully patted (or slapped?) the bald man's back. The man choked and coughed in response from the harsh treatment.

"Don't worry about that. The effects are slowly showing, and one day she will regret messing with us."

"But, where could she be?"

The bald researcher scratched his shaved head once again as he composed himself. The woman held her chin in a thinking gesture.

"We last saw her with #1, and then we lost track of her. Akigawa, do you have any idea on where could our subject be?"

The man with dead eyes, who she called Akigawa, smirked at her as he answered.

"The most plausible answer would be that she is now staying at his residence."

"W-wah!"

Then a clumsy woman in glasses tripped on the floor while carrying a pile of papers. The papers scattered around as she fumbled on the tiled floor. The other researchers stared at her with a tired look as she blushed profusely from embarrassment.

"What could be the reason that you slipped on the floor, Takahashi-san?"

Takahashi blushed a deeper shade of red as she played with her fingers.

"I-I heard you say that s-she might be living together with #1 right n-now..."

"I didn't say it like that."

Then she lifted her blushing face to stare at their confused faces.

"T-then if that's true, they m-might be sleeping in the s-same room right now!"

"..."

She covered her face with her hands as she finished her sentence. They stared at her with a tired expression on their faces, then ignored her afterwards.

"Eh? Eh?! Hey, why are you guys ignoring me?"

"Because you're stupid."

The brunette held her temples with a sigh. Takahashi cried out in response.

"You're so mean, Yasuhiro-san~!"

"And besides, who cares about that?"

"Yeah, no one cares about your little crush in #1. He didn't even know you."

"E-ehhh?!"

She cried out. The three sighed as they went back on doing their work. Takahashi was ignored again as she mumbled to herself.

"W-what if it's true...? T-then..!"

Then steam went out of her head as she fainted. Her body fell limply on the tiled floor as the three continued to ignore her. The papers were still scattered on the floor, but they didn't care.

* * *

And to answer the thing that was running in her head, it was true, and also false.

Accelerator and Misaka Mikoto was sleeping in the same room. In the living room, to be exact.

But her weird fantasies were proven false, because they're not doing anything that went into her jealous mind. Yep, they were just sleeping.

Mikoto twisted to the side as she winced from the light that came from the windows, her eyes kept closed. As she shifted into a more comfortable position, she smelled something in front of her. Her half asleep mind couldn't register what it was at first, but she soon realized what it smelled like.

 _'Coffee...?'_

She can feel that it was extremely close to her face, but due to her sleepy mind, she paid it no heed. She tried to sleep once again, but she felt warm air gust gently on her face. She didn't know what else could cause it, but its rhythm soothed her. Her sleepiness slowly went away as she opened her eyes. She saw the face of a certain white haired level 5 in front of her. She whispered his name under her breath.

"Accelerator..."

Accelerator, who had his head rested on the couch, heard her, and slowly opened his eyes. From there he saw Railgun's face, upside down, and also dangerously close to his own. Then his mind went blank.

On the other hand, Mikoto slowly realized their awkward positions. Their faces were just an inch away from each other. She also realized that it was his breath that was gently gusting on her face. Her hazel eyes widened as she stared at his crimson ones. A strange feeling bubbled inside of her as her face blushed a deeper shade of red.

And on the count of three.

Three.

Two.

One.

Ze-

"W-WHAAAAAAAAA-!"

"Stop fuckin' screaming, dammit!"

They jolted up as their minds finally went out of its blank state. Mikoto was standing on the couch with a flushed face, while Accelerator stood on the floor with an unreadable expression on his face.

"W-w-wh-what was that?!"

"I don't fucking know! And stop shouting!"

"I can't just calm down and do nothing! And you're shouting too!"

"That's because you're so loud!"

"You're doing it again!"

Then they breathed heavily after their heated exchange. Suddenly, they heard someone opening the door of the bedroom, and from there came a sleepy Last Order and a grumpy Worst. The two level 5s gulped from their mistake. Little did they know that there was still something that they failed to notice due to their flustered minds.

"'Why are you so loud...?', asks Misaka as Misaka rubbed her eyes."

Then a creepy aura covered the house as Worst stepped forward. The two jumped as she glared at them.

"What the hell... Oh."

Then the creepy aura subsided as her face showed a slightly surprised expression. But it slowly turned into a playful smirk as she noticed the thing that they failed to notice the entire time.

"Oh~ I guess Tou-san and Onee-tama were just doing their morning love session. Sorry for the interruption. But Misaka is a bit jealous though."

"W-what do yo-"

She was about to point her index finger at her, but her hand was restrained. Accelerator also felt this, and they both stared at their hands.

They were actually holding each other's hands gently, like it had a mind of its own.

The two backed away from each other as they released their grip on each other's hands and bickered once again.

"Why the fuck are you holding my hand?!"

"I-I don't know! And YOU'RE the one who's holding MY hand!"

"No way in hell third rate!"

No, you guys were wrong. You were holding each other's hands, so you don't have to blame anyone for that.

If they could hear me, I think I would be dead right now. But no, I'm the narrator. I am powerful.

Mikoto blushed as she held her right hand protectively. Accelerator noticed that something was missing, but he didn't know what it was. Last Order pointed it out for him.

"'Where's your crutch, Accelerator?' asks Misaka as Misaka wonders on how he could stand right now."

"Oh. Ow."

Then his knees gave away and he fell onto the floor. Because of Railgun's stupidity (or that's what he called it), he forgot that he was actually crippled and absentmindedly stood up on his own. Adrenaline? Maybe. It's funny, so let's just move on to the story.

Worst laughed hysterically from the look on their faces. Last Order just stared at them for she couldn't understand what was going on. Accelerator composed himself and stood with his crutch that supported him. On the other hand, Mikoto's mind was a mess. She was still blushing profusely from the strange feeling that was bubbling in her chest.

 _'Wh-what was that..?'_

She was in a dazed state when a pair of small hands held her own. She looked at her hands and saw Last Order who was staring at her worriedly.

"'Are you alright, Onee-sama?' asks Misaka as Misaka noticed your silence."

"Ah, I'm fine. Just… thinking about things."

Then she shook of the thought that was bugging her mind. She sat down on the couch and noticed a towel beside her. It was the towel that Accelerator placed on her forehead last night.

' _It must have fallen when I stood up.'_

Accelerator also saw this, and now it is his turn to stare worriedly at her, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Is your fever gone?"

"Yeah. Thank you for that."

' _Wait. What did I just say?'_

"'You had a fever, Onee-sama?!' asks Misaka as Misaka was completely unaware."

Then she scratched the back of her head as she smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah… Don't worry, I'm fine now."

It has only been a day and a half since she started to stay in this apartment, but she could feel that something has changed. It felt right, but it also felt wrong at the same time. She couldn't point out what it was, but she could feel that something wasn't right. She stood up from the couch and walked out of the living room. The three stared at her back as she walked away.

"'Where are you going, Onee-sama?' asks Misaka as Misaka wonders about your actions."

She glanced back with an unreadable expression on her face, then quickly masked it with a feigned smile.

"Ah... I'm just going to take a bath and wander around. I have nothing to do anyway."

"'Okay...' says Misaka as Misaka felt worried for Onee-sama."

Then she took a bath and changed her clothes. She wore a green shirt under a black hoodie jacket and a pair of navy blue shorts. She also wore a pair of white sneakers accented with green lines. Then she walked silently to the door with a somber expression. She was about to turn the doorknob when a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Where are you going?"

She glanced back and saw Accelerator sitting on the couch, fiddling with the television's remote controller. He was staring at the television screen as he consecutively changed the channels. Mikoto stared back at the door as she said her excuse.

"Somewhere. I'll just wander around anywhere that my feet would take me."

Then she opened the door and went out of the apartment. She had a serious expression on her face as she clenched her small hands into fists.

"I can't stay like this forever. I need to make a move now."

Then she walked away without a destination in mind, putting on a cap on her head to hide her face. She had her hands in her pockets as she completely hid her personality. The cool morning breeze sent a chill down her spine as she shivered from the cold. She breathed out a sigh, she didn't know that it was going to be this cold early in the morning.

 _'I should have worn a thicker jacket...'_

* * *

Accelerator sat on the couch, still fiddling with the remote. He had a bored expression on his face as he stared at the television with a disinterested look in his eyes. Last Order and Worst was in the room, so no one was there to bug him in his personal space. He walked to the kitchen to search the refrigerator for a can of coffee, but he found nothing. He clicked his tongue as he slowly went to the bedroom.

From there, he was greeted by a silent Last Order and a sleeping Worst. It was really weird to see the little girl like that, so he asked her about it.

"What's wrong?"

Last Order stared at him as she clutched the Gekota stuffed toy in her arms. She had a worried expression on her face, and Accelerator wondered why.

"'Onee-sama is acting different today,' says Misaka as Misaka hugged Gekota tighter."

Accelerator just stared at the small girl. He didn't want to see her like this, but he didn't know what to say to lighten up her mood. He just waited for her to speak up again to figure out the right words.

"'She's making that face again, and I don't want to see Onee-sama like that,' says Misaka as Misaka feels lonely for Onee-sama."

Accelerator walked closer and leaned on the wall. He stared at Last Order who looked like she was about to cry.

"She's fine. She just needed some time alone."

Then Last Order stared at him with pleading eyes as she peered closer at him.

"'Then, do you think Onee-sama will be smiling again when she got home?' asks Misaka as Misaka wanted Onee-sama to be happy."

The white haired level 5 outstretched his hand and patted the little girl gently. The girl accepted it wholeheartedly as she leaned on his touch.

"Yeah, so don't worry your brains out, brat."

Then Last Order nodded energetically as she regained her usual attitude. Accelerator walked away from the room as he forgot the reason why he went inside in the first place.

* * *

On the other hand, Mikoto was standing inside a phonebooth with her PDA in hand. She was searching for clues on the people behind the problem, but she couldn't find anything. She lacked information, so it was really hard to pinpoint the mastermind. She breathed out a sigh as she disconnected from the telephone's port.

"No luck, huh."

Then she closed her PDA and went out of the phonebooth. She started to wander around to think of her first step in finding that researcher.

Suddenly, she stopped in front of a dark alleyway. It was the same alleyway where she saved the man from some thugs. An idea popped in her mind as she walked through the narrow alleyway with all her senses in alert mode.

"I guess I'll just search for those thugs first. They might know something."

She went in deeper into the alley and observed the whole area. It's not often to see some thugs in this part of the city, but sometimes strays wander around dark places. Thugs would only appear here if someone informed them of a big shot, so she found it really weird. Being the enemy of most thugs in the back alleys, she almost memorized their turfs and schedules. (As for the latter, as if they had one.)

In the end, she found no one in there. She breathed out a sigh again as she headed out of the alley. She tried to remember the thugs faces and attire to search for a lead, and she somehow found something unique on them, like a symbol of a gang.

 _'From what I could remember, they all wore a scarf with a triangular design... Could I find something with that?'_

Then she ran to the shadier part of the district to search for clues. She stopped in the middle of a maze created by the narrow spaces between tall buildings. She walked cautiously as she lowered her cap to further hide her face.

As she turned around a corner, she was greeted by three people who had metal bats on each one of them. Their attention shifted to her who was standing in the middle of the alleyway.

"Hey, what's a kid doing here?"

They started to approach her as they held the bats in their hands. She stood still, showing that she's not afraid of them. The thugs grinned as the man in the center bent down to stare at her with his reddish eyes.

"Ojou-chan, are you lost? Let us help you get away from here."

She just glared at them with her hazel eyes as they continued to mock her.

"But our services aren't free, so you have to give us every money that you have. Is that clear?"

She smirked at the guy in front of her as she remained unmoved in her position. The thugs stared at her with a confused look as they lowered their bats.

"I don't want to waste my energy from the likes of you, I'm just here to ask a question."

"Huh? What are you talking about? What could a kid ask from us?"

The thugs looked more confused from her words as she stared at them with a confident expression.

"Do you know some guys wearing a scarf with triangles? I need to settle things with them."

Then the thug raised a finger and waved it in front of her.

"No, no, no. Just like I said, our services aren't free, so you need to give us what we wanted to answer your question, kid."

"I'll take you by force then."

"You seem to think highly of yourself, cocky brat. Let's see what you can do!"

Then the guy in the center swung his metal bat with a roar. Mikoto just stood there, completely unfazed. Before the bat could hit her, it abruptly stopped, like an invisible force was holding the bat in place. The thug looked really confused for he couldn't move it down a little further. The other two stepped back as they held their bats in a defensive stance.

"T-the kid's an esper!"

Then they all stared at Mikoto who had a bored expression on her face. She eyed the man in the center as she hid her hands in her pockets.

"I told you I'm not here to waste my time, right? So answer my question."

"What would you do if we didn't answer?"

She paused for a while, thinking of an answer. Then her head released a warning spark to let them know that she's serious.

"You won't get away of this place unscathed."

The thug smirked, then he let go of the immovable bat to attack her head on. He tried to punch her, but he instantly drew back his fist as light blue electricity coursed through his arm. He stumbled backwards, holding his scorched hand protectively.

"YOU!"

He shouted with a voice filled with rage. He stared back at his two companions, and saw that they were shivering in fear. This made him feel more infuriated as he shouted to bring them back to their senses.

"Hey! Stop being a cowardly piece of shit and attack her!"

"B-but..."

They stepped backwards as they stared at her small form. Despite her small stature, her presence stood above them all. Her entire being exuded a sense of superiority that made them tremble on their knees.

"W-We're going to tell you!"

"What?! You idiot!"

The two ignored their leader as they all stared at the brooding presence in front of them.

"They operate somewhere near here, in the sixth alleyway to the left."

"Then, do you know how they operate?"

The two sat down on the floor as they felt devastated from being defeated by a little girl.

"They mostly target big shots, so they usually gather information first before they move."

 _'As expected...'_

She passed by the leader's side and went straight between the two underlings to her new destination. But before she turned around the corner, she glanced back at them from the corner of her eyes.

"Thanks."

Then the thug trio were left frozen on the cold asphalt floor, feeling relieved from the absence of the superior presence that was in front of them a few seconds ago.

* * *

Mikoto arrived at the place that the two mentioned, and found a few people with those scarves, smoking some cigarette. The smell of the smoke disgusted her as she took a step forward. A big man noticed her approaching, and completely blocked her way.

"Oops, you're not allowed to enter this place, brat."

She stared up at the big man and noticed that he looked really familiar. Her eyes widened as she remembered the thugs from that day.

 _'It's him!'_

The thug noticed her staring, and he looked really pissed.

"Hey, it's rude to stare like that, kid."

Then she regained her composure as the big man leaned down at her. His people circled around her with different weapons in their hands.

"Who informed you of the man in a lab coat a few days ago?"

The man raised an eyebrow as he stepped on a used cigarette stick.

"Huh? How did you know that? It's none of your business."

She glared at him as she felt really infuriated from the man's attitude.

"It's actually MY business, so you need to answer me."

Then a member of the gang with a taser in his hand approached her with a big grin. He stared at him with disgust as she brought her hands out of her pockets.

"Little kids should just stay at home and play with their dolls. We're giving you a chance to escape, or else."

"Or what?"

"You'll never get out alive!"

Then he struck her with his taser, but nothing happened. He clicked the button repeatedly, but she didn't even flinch. She smiled at him and grabbed his arm, his face looked horrified.

"Tasers are pretty handy, but they don't have any effect on me."

Then she gripped his arm tighter and glared at him with sharp eyes.

"Then, I'll just return the amount of electricity that you wasted on me. That would make us even, right?"

Then the man screamed in agony as his body trembled from the surge of electricity that came from her hand. She let go of the man's arm and he fell on the cold ground like a piece of paper. They backed away from the display of power as she glared at the big man who blocked her way earlier.

"Answer my question, or every single one of you will get fried."

The man clicked his tongue as he held his weapon tighter.

"Attack her! All at once!"

The circle of men went nearer with their weapons in hand, then a flash of light filled the entire alleyway. After the spectacle, a pile of smoking unconscious bodies fell limply on the cold asphalt floor, leaving only the leader who was cowering in fear. The little girl stepped forward and stared at him with dangerous eyes.

"You guys don't really learn, huh."

Then she stopped a few steps in front of the man and raised her head to look at his face.

"So, would you mind telling me what you know?"

The man stumbled backwards, slumping on the floor as his knees buckled in fear. He bowed down his head until his forehead reached the ground and cried like a child.

"I'm sorry! I'll tell you everything, so please spare me!'

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"My informant said that a man in a lab coat will appear in that alleyway a few days ago, and his name was Akigawa Ritou."

"Akigawa... Ritou?"

She couldn't remember anyone with that name, but she'll just search for him afterwards.

"Yes... And that's all I know."

Then she placed her hands on her hips as she asked another question.

"Then, where did your informant got that information?"

He scratched his head as he sat up straight on the ground.

"I don't know, but they usually obtain information from different online message boards."

"Message boards, huh. Thanks."

Then she turned around to leave the man alone with his burnt comrades. He breathed out a deep sigh as he held his throbbing chest. He felt like his heart would jump out of his rib cage as he felt intense fear from that small figure.

"I'm not going to mess with electromasters anymore..."

* * *

Accelerator couldn't take it anymore. A few hours has passed and he couldn't live without drinking a can of coffee. He went inside the bedroom again and saw that Last Order has already fallen asleep on her bed. He took out a jacket and a scarf from the cabinet and headed out of the room silently. He wore it over his white long sleeved shirt and went out of the apartment to buy some coffee in the convenience store.

On his way to the nearest convenience store, his mind started to wander. He remembered Last Order's worried face, and the original's retreating back. He didn't know what was going on in their minds, but it still concerned him a little.

When he arrived at his destination, he gathered a lot of coffee and paid it on the counter. As he went out of the store, he saw a lone figure near a vending machine. He recognized her as she sat down on a bench with a hot drink in hand. He approached her as he carried a bag of coffee in his free hand.

"Hey."

She turned her head to him, and his guess was proven right. It was Misaka Mikoto, sitting alone on a bench. She smiled as she greeted him back.

"Hey, Accelerator."

He sat beside her and brought out a can of coffee from the bag. She stared at him as she held the hot drink in her cold hands

"Where's Last Order?"

He sipped a drink from the can and answered her.

"In the room. She's asleep."

"Ah..."

Then she drank the warm liquid and it warmed her small form. She breathed out a sigh as she stared at the can in her hands.

"This is rare. You're silent."

A vein popped in her head from the rude comment. Her grip tightened on the can as she retorted back.

"I'm not that noisy, and I can be really silent too."

It's true, she can be really silent if she wanted to. She'll just sit silently on her chair and let her mind wander in her thoughts. Or she would just read some books as a past time.

She brought the can down beside her and she kept her hands in her pockets to give it some warmth.

"So, what are you doing here?"

He finished his can of coffee and threw it on the floor. A cleaning robot quickly went to the area and ate the can, then it rolled away.

"Buying some coffee."

"Oh..."

Then she stood up from the bench and stood in front of him.

"Then, I think we should go home. It's already near lunchtime."

Accelerator also stood up and leaned on his crutch for support. He stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What have you been up to?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

He fixed the position of his scarf on his neck as he looked away.

"You're acting on your own again, and Last Order doesn't want to see you like that."

Mikoto's eyes widened as she stared back at him. Then she smiled once again as she fixed the cap on her head.

"She really worries a lot, don't you think?"

She glanced down to avoid eye contact with the white haired boy. He noticed this, and asked her again.

"Then, what are you doing earlier?"

"I was... searching for clues."

Then she walked to the apartment's direction, shivering from the cold. Accelerator followed suit, and walked behind her. Her breathing started to turn visible as the cold freezes the air that she exhaled. Winter was drawing closer to its end, but it was still really cold. The boy behind her noticed her slight trembling, and he caught up to her. He slipped his scarf away and placed it on Mikoto's shoulders. She jumped from the sudden action, then she stared at him.

"You should have brought a thicker jacket. You might catch a cold."

Then she placed it properly around her neck, it was really warm. She felt really warm and fuzzy inside as her face turned red.

"Thanks..."

Then the two level 5s walked silently to the apartment, where a small girl and an older version of the girl waited for them to come home.

* * *

Author's note:

Hey! I'm back! lol I've been busy these past few days, traveling back and forth from my place to Metro Manila because of important events. XD lol

And the researchers appeared! What are they really up to? ...You wanna know? I'm not going to tell you XD

See you next time!


	6. Confusion, Resurfacing Memories

Misaka Mikoto sat on her bed as her mind started to wander. It was still very early in the morning, but the information that she obtained yesterday still bugged her. She folded her knees in front of her chest and hugged it with her slender arms.

Akigawa Ritou, the dark haired researcher with dead eyes, was the person behind her situation. She didn't know much about him since she didn't have enough time to investigate. She didn't know what was his motive, either. The only thing that she knew about him was that he was a researcher in a certain research facility that studies about medical technology, but was fired from his job due to his failure in one of his experiments.

And she knew that these information were not enough, but she shouldn't draw other people's attention. If she went out on her own frequently, the residents of the apartment would notice her investigation. Yomikawa already warned her about it, and she didn't want anything to do with Anti-Skill.

She breathed out a sigh as she relaxed her small frame. She glanced to the side, and saw the yellow chick stuffed toy that she got from the crane catcher. She picked it up and hugged it tightly. She didn't have her Killbear plushie right now, so this will do. The smooth fabric calmed her down as her dainty hands gripped the stuffed toy tighter.

On the other side of the bed was a sleeping Last Order. The little girl played all day long with her when Mikoto returned from her excursion. Her face looked really peaceful as she hugged the green Gekota plushie in her arms.

 _'She must be tired of all that running...'_ she thought.

When she got home, Last Order greeted her with a worried look on her face. She didn't want to see her like that, but she could also feel that she was actually the reason of the child's behavior. To compensate for her actions, she let the little girl do anything that she wanted. So they ended up playing a lot of games the whole day, much to a certain white haired boy's chagrin.

She scooted closer to Last Order's sleeping form and gently ran her fingers into her chestnut colored hair. The little girl smiled in her sleep like she could actually feel her Onee-sama's hand caressing her head. Mikoto smiled softly from her reaction.

 _'I wonder what they're doing right now..?'_

She started to think of her remaining 9969 sisters. It has been a while since the last time she visited them, and they might get jealous of Last Order right now. They had a tendency of being envious of things they couldn't experience directly, especially when it concerns their Mikoto Onee-sama. No wonder Worst was getting moody lately. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as she thought of what could possibly be happening in the Misaka Network at this moment.

 _'Well, I guess I'll just visit them when everything is finished...'_

She breathed out a sigh as she scratched the back of her head tiredly. She continued to stare at the rhythmic rising and falling of the little girl's form, and it gave her a sense of peace. She stood up from the bed and leaned down to kiss the younger girl on the forehead as she decided to go out of the room for a while. She walked to the doorway and silently left the room, leaving her two clones who were sleeping soundly on their respective beds.

She silently passed by the living room to reach the kitchen, but she suddenly stopped when she saw the white haired boy sleeping on the couch. His sleeping face looked utterly harmless, like it didn't belong to a monster who killed 10,031 lives for the sake of absolute power.

A stinging sensation struck her heart as she remembered everything that he did, which completely scarred the poor girl. People might say that time heals all wounds, but it's not that easy. Her wounded heart won't heal that easily, especially if she continued to inflict herself with a lot more pain. She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tightly as a mortifying memory flashed in her mind.

The truth was, she didn't know what to think of him anymore. 'Him' being Accelerator, the strongest esper in the whole Academy City and in the whole world. Their first meeting was not a good one, and it left a bad taste in her mouth. She saw him before as a ruthless monster who was stupid enough to think that her sisters were just bags of manipulated protein who can be reproduced with a push of a button.

But now...

She didn't know.

She didn't want to know.

She saw him act like a father to one of her clones, and he could also endure the constant teasing of another one of them. The person she least expected to do those things was the one who surpassed everything that she did in order to protect them. And this caused another wound in her heart to open once again.

The worst thing was, she would sometimes forget that he was the same person who scarred her in the first place.

She winced from the negative emotions that crept in her soul and turned her back to walk to her original destination.

Then she finally reached the kitchen, which felt like she ran a hundred miles from just walking from the room to where she was at this moment. She just sat on one of the chairs and let her mind drift away into her thoughts. Even though she physically turned into a kid, the gloomy atmosphere that hung in the air dictated that this little girl already experienced a lot of pain and suffering in her life in the span of fourteen years. Normally, most people would experience a problem that great when they reached an older age, but she was an exception.

Because no matter what she did, she will never experience a life as normal as that.

She's not normal, and she will never be.

To most people's eyes, she was the Railgun, the third strongest esper in Academy City. She was like a perfect entity that shouldn't commit any mistake that would dirty her name.

And she hated it.

It's true that your social status could make things easier in life, but it could also backfire and hinder you from obtaining the things that you really wanted.

And that was why she hated it.

Only a few people would see her as Misaka Mikoto, a middle school girl who had an obsession on cute things (especially Gekota) and was actually very shy in admitting the things that she liked.

They failed to realize that she just wanted to be treated like anybody else.

She wanted to be normal.

But normalcy was not a thing in Academy City, especially if you were a level 5.

A lot of people would use you, fool you, hurt you, betray you, envy you, and hate you, just because of the tremendous power that you had.

If she could only say what was going on in her mind, maybe things would be different. But no, thinking like that was unforgivable for a prideful person like her.

What if she wasn't a level 5? Would she be able to achieve what she really wanted? Would she still be friends with those people that she cared about? The answer was far in sight.

She didn't know what caused her to introspect to no end, but recently, she started to feel that she needed to fix the things that were swirling in her mind. Everything that happened in her life made her forget who she really was. Suddenly, her eyes widened from the question that flitted through her mind.

Wait. Who was she, really?

Was she Misaka Mikoto, who loved cute stuff and cared for her friends and family more than her life?

Or was she the Railgun, the third strongest esper, who was the proud Ace of Tokiwadai, and a symbol of terrifying power?

She leaned her forehead on her palm and let her fingers ruffle her fringe. Other people would think that it was not usual to see a kid of her age this depressed, but she wasn't a kid anymore. She was already fourteen, in a ten year old's body.

She breathed out a sigh as she ruffled her hair. She didn't notice that she had been thinking of a lot of things until now, and it was quite depressing that she found out that her mind was a mess. From one small topic to another, her mind continued to drift on its own. She didn't know that she was conflicted about her thoughts. Another sigh escaped from her lips as she slumped down and leaned her head on the table.

This always happens when she was left alone for herself, and recently, the only witness to her depressed state was the apartment's dining table.

I wonder why, though.

(If the table was alive, he or she might be already complaining about the gloomy and tensed atmosphere.)

(But it's not alive, thank God. I don't want to see a talking table skipping happily around the house. That would be really unsettling.)

Ahem, back to the story.

Mikoto stared at nothing as her eyes showed a distant expression. Her mind started to drift back to the unsolvable riddle/jerk/monster/bastard who was sleeping on a couch in the living room. He was a complete mystery to her. At first, she thought of him as the worst thing that appeared in her life. But due to her current situation, she was able to witness a different side of him. He did a lot of things that made her change the way she saw him.

He comforted her once.

He even lent her his scarf yesterday.

And it made her all fluffy and warm inside.

Mikoto blushed from the thought, but it quickly subsided as she realized something wrong. She placed a hand on her chest and she could feel her heart thumping loudly inside her rib cage.

What made her feel this way?

Her hands balled up into fists as she clutched her shirt in frustration. The feeling that she was experiencing in her chest was like when a certain idiot would show up to her, but it also felt really different. Like it was locked away and cannot be opened until the right moment. It was not as strong as her feelings for Kamijou Touma, but she could feel that it was slowly building up inside of her. Almost like a... friend?

For the past few days, she started to think that he has changed into an entirely different person. But looking back on it, she could still feel her unyielding loathing in the back of her mind. She couldn't understand everything amidst the conflicting emotions that was clashing in her distorted mind.

She curled her fists tighter until she could feel her nails piercing through her skin.

"No, this is completely wrong. This is not happening."

"What are you talking about, third rate? You going crazy?"

She jumped from the sudden voice and abruptly stood up from her chair, toppling it down with a loud crash.

"W-what are you doing here?!"

 _'Speaking of the devil...'_

She stared at the source of the voice and found the white haired boy who was giving her a severe internal crisis seconds earlier. It was Accelerator, standing in front of the fridge with his crutch while holding a can of coffee in his hand. He stared at her with his crimson eyes and his usual bored expression written on his face.

"I should be the one asking you that. It's still too early for you to sulk in here."

A vein popped in her head as she felt pissed off from the look on his face.

"You shouldn't care about what I do, and answer my question first."

Accelerator took a sip from his can and adjusted the position of his crutch. He was now leaning on the wall near the fridge as he sported a carefree posture.

"Woke up early, couldn't go back to sleep."

Mikoto breathed out a sigh as she muttered to herself.

"You always show up in the most opportune time, you know that?"

"Hah? Couldn't hear you clearly."

She glared at him for a while, then closed her eyes, still looking irritated from his presence.

"You're drinking too much coffee."

"It calms me down."

Then awkward silence. The little girl still felt bothered, while the white haired boy looked unfazed from her behavior. They remained like that for a few minutes, until one of them finally broke the deafening silence.

"Why are you up so early?"

Mikoto remained silent, but the expression on her face changed. Her eyes became distant once again as her face turned solemn, an expression he had seen on her face a few times.

"Last Order was really worried."

He said before sipping on his drink. The girl avoided any eye contact with him, but he knew that she understood what he meant.

"I know."

That was her only response. She didn't even know what to say anyway. She picked the chair up right and sat back down again, breathing out a heavy sigh. She continued to stare at nothing until she heard the scraping of the chair's foot on the floor. She turned her head and saw Accelerator joining her in the table. He placed the can of coffee on the table as he stared in front of him.

"Then what are you going to do about it?"

He said in a low tone. Mikoto looked away and fiddled with the hem of her green pyjama. She tried to give him the silent treatment, but he felt irritated from her silence.

"Answer me, snobby brat."

She tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes as she felt another surge of anger that overwhelmed her senses.

"Why are you acting like that?"

It was now Accelerator's turn to get pissed as he tightened his grip on the black can.

"Answer me fir-"

" _Why_ are you acting like that?"

She cut him off as she repeated in a harsh tone. There was a tint of shock on his face as he stared at the girl. He didn't know what she meant, so he snarled back from her rude interruption.

"Hah? What do you mean?"

Mikoto released her grip on the hem of her clothes and clenched her fists. She glared at him sharply, her teeth grinding against each other.

"Saving Last Order, Worst and the Sisters, acting all considerate towards me, just what the fuck do you think you're doing?! Why are you doing this?! I can't understand you..."

Mikoto said with a scowl on her face. Her thoughts were slowly showing up in her words, while Accelerator didn't even flinch from her outburst. Sparks of electricity flew from her head as she slammed her fists on the table. He merely shrugged and glared at her in return.

"It's none of your business."

Then Mikoto lowered her head, her hair covering the intense hatred and the lingering confusion in her hazel eyes. Why was she angry, anyway? Was it because the man who slaughtered her sisters sat half a meter away from her? Or was it because of something else? Her head was starting to ache from all the confusing thoughts that rambled in her mind.

On the other hand, Accelerator was also confused. For the past few days, they'd been getting along better with each other. Well, they were not really close, but their conversations always ended up more peaceful than he expected. And it somehow gave him hope that he would now be able to atone for his sins. But judging from the way she was acting, things like that weren't that easy. Wait, did he really want her to forgive him for the pain that he caused? He knew that he was doing his everything to atone for his sins by keeping the sisters safe, but was forgiveness something that he deserved? His brows furrowed in concentration. Now it was his turn to drift aimlessly in his thoughts.

Finally, Mikoto gathered her thoughts and spoke, taking in a deep breath before she did her action.

"I don't really know how to answer your question earlier, and I also didn't want to see her like that."

She joined her hands and played with her fingers, a somber expression written on her face. Then she stared at him sternly as she talked once again.

"And about my question, I couldn't understand your motives. You killed half of them before, then you're saving them now?"

Accelerator's face darkened from her words. His grip on the can tightened, creating some noticeable dents on its metallic surface. Despite noticing his reaction, Mikoto continued regardless.

"...And, I don't know how to exactly say it, but your actions... makes me feel weird."

She clawed her hands in frustration, her nails digging into her soft skin. He glanced away from him, her face twisting into a grimace.

"You're making me change the way I see you, and I sometimes forget everything that you did, it's frustrating. You're making me hate myself..."

She said in a low tone. Accelerator finally stared at her, his brow raised in confusion. This day was getting really confusing by each passing second, and it gave them a lot of things to think about. Then, Mikoto breathed out a sigh as a tired expression filled her eyes.

"You seem to care about my sisters, and Last Order and Worst have taken a liking to you. I don't have the right to change that."

Accelerator just remained silent. He didn't have any idea on what was going to happen, so he kept his mouth shut. Mikoto loosened her grip on her own hands, and said something that surprised the white haired boy.

"So I'm giving you a chance."

"Hah?"

Accelerator exclaimed with a mixture of shock and confusion in his voice. The girl looked irritated from his reaction as the tired expression in her eyes was replaced by a threatening glare.

"First you're venting your anger on me, then you say things like that? You're nuts."

"Gah-! I'm not doing it for you! It's for Last Order, you shithead!"

Mikoto fumed in anger while Accelerator just stared at her, with amusement hidden in his emotionless face. He wondered how fast could the original change her emotions. It's not normal.

"And what do you mean by 'giving me a chance'?"

"Eh?"

She stared dumbly at him. He clicked his tongue then spoke with a scowl on his face.

"You said it yourself, right?! What do you mean by that?"

"Oh."

Then she held her chin in a thinking gesture, her brows furrowed. Accelerator had a deadpan expression on his face.

 _'How dumb could the original be..?'_

He thought. Then Mikoto finally stared at him with seriousness riddled in her face.

"Prove to me that you have really changed, so that it would give me some peace of mind."

"Why would I do that?"

Her brow twitched in irritation as she stared at his stoic expression.

"Ah, this is useless. I give up. Just leave me alone for now..."

She said as she brought her hand to her face and waved him off with her other hand. She won't be able to understand this guy. She told him to go away, but she didn't notice any movement from him. She glanced at him, and he was still there.

"I told you to leave, right?"

Accelerator remained unmoved, his stare drilling into Mikoto's form. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the right words won't come out. The girl felt annoyed from the stare that was piercing through her as she snarled at him.

"What?"

The strongest esper felt his throat getting coarse, so he drank a lot of coffee and gulped it all at once. What was it that he wanted to say? He didn't have any idea too. He just let his mouth speak of the thing that was lingering in the back of his mind.

"I don't know what to say."

"Huh?"

Mikoto stared weirdly at the socially awkward teen in front of her. If he didn't know what to say, why bother telling it to her? She blinked a few times, wondering if this was real.

"I don't know what you're talking about but if it's for that brat, then you can do what you want."

Accelerator finally said it. Mikoto stared at him with wide eyes as her mouth was agape from surprise. As his words sunk in her mind, a smile crept on her face. She didn't know why, but hearing him say that made her a little happy. Then she extended her hand in front of him with an awkward grin on her face.

"T-then, I'll forget about the past _for a while,_ and we will start anew."

The 'for a while' being the key phrase. A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she introduced herself.

"I-I'm Misaka Mikoto."

Accelerator stared at her hand, then he raised an eyebrow.

"What the fuck is this?"

"It's a handshake, dammit! Just take it!"

Mikoto pouted in annoyance as her face blushed Accelerator stared warily at her hands for a while, and shakily held it. Her face turned a deeper shade of red as his soft hands touched her's. He also introduced himself, his voice trembling slightly from nervousness.

"I... I'm Accelerator."

"Your real name...?"

"Huh?"

"What's your real name?"

Mikoto stared at him innocently, waiting for his answer. Accelerator grumbled silently before he answered in a low tone.

"I don't remember it..."

"Oh."

Then awkward silence, again. They just stared at each other, savoring the moment until it lasted. But the comfortable atmosphere was soon broken as they noticed that they were still holding each other's hands. They hastily withdrew their hands and held it protectively, like they were burnt from touching something extremely hot. Mikoto blushed once again, while Accelerator just stared at his hand. It was really awkward for them, but deep inside they were a bit happy. They didn't know why, though.

The awkward silence easily dissipated as they stared again at each other. There was a noticeable blush on Mikoto's face, while Accelerator had an unreadable look. The little girl smiled a toothy grin as she spoke once again.

"Nice to meet you, Accelerator."

"Yeah... Nice to meet you too."

 _'Is this deja vu?'_

Both of them thought after their exchange. It felt like something like this had happened before, but they couldn't remember it well. Maybe it was just their imagination. Or was it?

An idea suddenly popped out of her head as her face brightened with excitement.

"Say, Accelerator. Why don't we take Last Order to the park later?"

"Hah? I hate kids."

"You're not going to play with them."

Mikoto scrunched her nose as she glared at him. But he's not going to lose here.

"Last Order might get into a fight again."

"That's why I'm here! And stop being overprotective, that's normal for kids!"

"Yeah, kids like you."

"YOU!"

Accelerator smirked at her as she was fuming in anger. Her reactions never failed to amuse him, even though it shortened his life span sometimes. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he grabbed his crutch and stood up from the chair. Mikoto's hair stood on its ends as a few sparks flew from her head.

"Hey! Don't you dare get away from me!"

"Fine, fine. We'll go to the park later."

"Eh?"

The girl stared at him with a shocked expression, then she smiled. She nodded her head enthusiastically as she crossed her arms triumphantly.

"Yeah, so you better pack a lot of coffee."

He just smirked at her in reply, then he went back to the living room, pacing slowly to the couch. When he's already out of her sight, Mikoto stretched her arms in the air then left the table.

"I guess I'll take a bath then."

* * *

Last Order smiled happily as she was sitting on a swing, the breeze flowing through her small frame. Mikoto pushed her as the swing went back and forth, earning some cute giggles from the little girl. She also had a smile on her face as she stared contentedly at her little sister.

On the other hand, two figures sat on a bench. One was calmly drinking a can of coffee, while the other one was grumbling silently. She clutched her aodai tightly, gritting her teeth as she glared at the white haired boy beside her.

"Why is Misaka also with you in the park?"

"Stop complaining. I'm also forced into this."

"Misaka would like it if she's alone with Tou-san, but Onee-tama and Last Order are also here..."

Accelerator shot a glare at her direction, then completely ignored her afterwards. Worst was a bit disappointed, but it quickly turned into a smirk as she snickered silently. She scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his free arm, leaning her developed body into his lean frame as much as possible.

"Well, it's not a bad idea afterall. Misaka will just pretend that this is a date."

"Stop clinging onto me, Worst."

"You're such a killjoy, Tou-san~"

He shrugged her off, but her arms were still locked around him. It was getting really irritating for him, especially when he heard Worst snickering at his despair.

The two kids (physically) noticed the two teenagers (also physically) and the older one breathed out a sigh. Last Order just stared indifferently at the figures like it was the most normal thing in the world. Mikoto stared at them with tired eyes as she stopped pushing the swing.

"She's at it again..."

"'Worst always acts like that,' says Misaka as Misaka have seen it a lot of times."

"Eh? I wonder how that guy handles her..."

She said in an exasperated tone. Last Order stood up from the swing and stopped in front of Mikoto with bright eyes.

"'Misaka Misaka wants to play another game,' says Misaka as Misaka got bored from playing the same thing repeatedly."

"What is it that you want to play then?"

"'Misaka Misaka wants to-'"

"Uh... Um..."

Last Order abruptly stopped talking as she faced the new voice that interjected their conversation. Mikoto also glanced to the side, and saw a familiar boy with dark hair. She stared blankly at him at first, then she finally remembered.

"You're... Shirou-kun, right?"

"Y-yeah..."

The kid fiddled with his fingers as his face was a shade of pink. He was Ueda Shirou, the kid that she saved the other day from dirty playing bullies (chapter 3 XD). Mikoto smiled at him while Last Order did the same. He gulped nervously as he stared at her with conviction in his eyes.

"I-I... wanted to thank you for saving me before... So I think I need to give you something to express my feelings- o-of gratitude..."

"Eh? Me?"

"Y-yes."

Shirou internally face palmed from the things that he said. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he shakily brought out something from his pocket. As he opened his trembling hands, there lies a red Gekota strap, with one of its eyes drawn into a wink. Mikoto's eyes widened at the sight of it then smiled brightly that it blinded the people nearby. She was about to reach for the childish strap, but she hesitated and stared at him with pleading eyes.

"C-can I really take it..?"

"S-sure..."

 _'W-woah. She's... cute.'_

Mikoto slowly picked it from his hands, then held the strap into the air, her eyes almost tearing up from extreme happiness. She had a hardcore obsession on anything Gekota, after all. After she admired the red Gekota in her hands, she turned her head to Shirou and beamed like a child.

"Thank you very much!"

"Y-yeah. You're welcome."

Then he searched his pockets again, then gave another one to Last Order. It was the regular green Gekota strap, and her face also brightened. She clutched it in her hands and stared at it admiringly.

"I also got you one because you also saved me from them."

"'Thank you, Shirou-kun!' says Misaka as Misaka expressed her sincerest gratitude."

Then she ran to the nearest bench where Accelerator and Worst was seated then she showed her newly obtained strap to the white haired boy.

"'Look! Shirou-kun gave Misaka Misaka this strap!' says Misaka as Misaka waved it in front of Accelerator."

"Huh? Another of those retarded frogs?"

"'Gekota is not retarded,' says Misaka as Misaka corrected his words."

"Whatever. You're starting to sound like her."

Speaking of 'her', he scanned the playground for the original, and found her near the swing. She was smiling from ear to ear as she stared at the little boy in front of her.

 _'Wait. Little boy?'_

He suddenly felt really annoyed as his eyes landed on the kid in front of the original. His grip on the can tightened and a few drops of coffee spurted out of it.

 _'It's that brat from before.'_

Okay. He didn't know why, but his blood started to boil when he saw the little brat (Mikoto) smiling at another little brat (Shirou). Worst noticed his sudden change and smiled deviously at the white haired level 5.

"Oh, Tou-san is feeling jealous that his loli might get taken away by the shota boy."

"Shut your fucking trap. I'm not in a good mood today."

Accelerator escaped from her grasp and stood up from the bench, much to Worst's disappointment. He used his crutch to support him and he paced slowly near the subject of his unreasonable anger. Mikoto noticed him approaching and turned towards him with a change in her demeanor.

"Why are you here all of a sudden? You want to play with kids?"

"No, third rate. I'm not you."

"Hey!"

Sparks danced from her fringe as she glared at him. Accelerator brushed her off and glared directly at the poor little boy, who flinched away from his threatening gaze. _'This kid looked really irritating...'_ He continued to glare at him like that until Mikoto gasped on the side.

"Y-you're a shotacon now?!"

"FUCK NO! The hell are you saying?!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth, stupid! The kids might here you!"

"Coming from you?"

"Shut up, mop head!"

The other kids in the playground whispered and gave them some sceptical looks as the two level 5s bad mouthed each other. Crackles of electricity could be heard from their area, their intense glare stabbing like daggers into each other's skull. They finally broke their staring (more like glaring) contest as Accelerator glared back at Shirou.

"You."

"W-what is it?"

His red eyes scanned the young boy who looked really scared at the albino. His little form trembled from the tensed aura that hung in the air.

"What's your motive?"

"Eh?"

"Why are you acting all chummy with her?"

The kid stared at him with confusion and fear in his eyes as he gulped nervously. Accelerator's piercing glare made him tremble in his knees. He tried to open his mouth, but his answer turned into a stuttering mess.

"I-I-I just w-wanted to... be f-f-friends with her..."

"Hah? Couldn't understand you."

The kid tried to break away from his fear as a glint of conviction returned in his eyes.

"I just wanted to be friends with her."

"Hey, Accelerator. You're scaring him."

Mikoto interfered in his interrogation and forced her way between them. Accelerator clicked his tongue angrily and grabbed her arm with his free hand. She struggled from his grasp but he dragged her away from the boy.

"What are you doing?! You're hurting me!"

"We're going home."

He said not only to Mikoto but also to Last Order and Worst as they followed suit, leaving the little boy alone with a dumbfounded expression painted on his face. Mikoto continued to struggle from his firm hold until they reached a certain distance away from the park. He let go of her arm as she swatted his hand from touching her.

"Why the hell are you dragging me?!"

"Playtime is over."

"You could just say it to me!"

He glanced away to the right as his brows furrowed. The little girl was still glaring at him as she waited for a reasonable answer. Last Order and Worst watched them from the side as the atmosphere felt heavy all of a sudden.

"I... I don't know."

"What?"

"I said I don't fucking know! I don't know why I fucking dragged you out of there! That kid pisses me off!"

"Hah?!"

Mikoto shouted at him in disbelief. Really, she couldn't understand this guy. But his actions sparked a nostalgic feeling inside her. What was it? Now she's getting more confused. Accelerator clenched his fists as a bubbling anger filled his chest. It was a bit painful, but he didn't care. His face twisted into a grimace as he tightened his grip on his crutch's handle.

"I don't know! I just got the feeling that something bad would happen!"

He breathed heavily as he finished his rant. The can of coffee was squished in his hand, its contents spilling over the asphalt floor. He threw the crushed can on the floor out of frustration. She stared at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes. It was a mixture of different emotions, something that she couldn't explain. But she could feel a painful twinge in her heart as she saw him like that. Was it... regret? Guilt? What for? She let her emotions rule over her as she grabbed his hand. It was rather forceful, but it had a hidden gentleness in her touch that only Accelerator could tell. Everything is just too confusing that they couldn't understand why they were acting this way. Determination replaced the unreadable look in her eyes as she stared deeply into his soul.

"I won't leave you again. I promise."

 _'Wait. What?'_

The two of them widened their eyes in shock from her words. Something was hidden behind it, and it gave them a weird feeling in their hearts. It sounded really familiar, but they couldn't identify the reason. Mikoto loosened her grip on his hand and asked the question that was bugging her mind this morning.

 _"Have we, by any chance... met before?"_

They didn't know how to answer that simple question. Maybe yes, maybe no. It was uncertain. Silence enveloped the area as they stared at nothing, their minds searching for a distant memory. It was so close, yet so far. And it was utterly baffling for the both of them.

But the stretching silence was abruptly cut off when someone nearby cleared her throat to catch their attention. The two glanced to the side as they saw Worst with a deadpan expression on her face.

"Can Misaka speak now?"

They nodded their heads absentmindedly, still in a daze from their bewilderment. Worst maintained her composure as she broke the news to them.

"Even though Misaka doesn't really care, she will still inform you guys that the control tower disappeared a few seconds ago."

They stared blankly at her for a few seconds until everything sunk in, bringing them out of their stupor. They reacted simultaneously as they exclaimed their shock in chorus.

"Last Order!"

"That brat!"

They frantically turned their heads to look around, but the little girl was nowhere to be found. Accelerator clicked his tongue and cursed under his breath while Mikoto looked overly worried. Because of the nostalgic feeling that invaded their minds, they actually forgot the people around them. The white haired teen faced them as a tired expression made its way to his face.

"You two should go home, I'll go search for her. She's probably just playing around as usual."

Mikoto quickly turned to him in alarm as she heard his command. On the other hand, Worst felt relieved that she will be going home sooner than she expected.

"Well, that's good. Misaka will be going home."

No, Accelerator. I'll go with you."

The original said in a serious tone. Her fists was clenched tightly as she stared at him with her resolve reflecting in her eyes. Accelerator turned his back and walked away, waving his free hand at them.

"Do whatever you want."

Worst quickly went on her way with a huge smirk on her face while Mikoto tailed the strongest level 5. Accelerator didn't say a word as he continued to walk on the rough pavement that lead to the different parts of the city.

But as they turned around the corner, Mikoto noticed something and a sudden spark of electricity zapped the air around her. She turned her head slightly to the side and watched her back from the corner of her eyes. A bead of sweat formed on her face as she saw a shadow of a man hiding behind a corner.

 _'I'm being followed?'_

She stopped in her track, which caught the attention of the boy in front of him. He turned around and stared at her with prying eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She glanced away from his inquiring gaze as she made up a blatant lie, an excuse to wander around alone and face the creepy stalker that was tailing her.

"I-I just thought that we should split up so that we could find her faster."

Accelerator gave her a disapproving look, but he quickly shrugged it off as he turned away from her in a carefree manner.

"Oh~? Then go ahead."

And on cue, Mikoto turned the opposite way and walked with a heavy feeling in her chest. As she reached a corner, she dashed as fast as she could to lure the stalker out of his hiding.

 _'I won't let you get away!'_

As she disappeared from his view, Accelerator turned around and followed her trail. He must have seen behind her obvious lie, and he decided that she's not going anywhere alone. A click was heard and he lifted his crutch from the ground.

 _'Last Order could wait for a while. I'll destroy the greater threat fast.'_

* * *

SORRY FOR THE LOOOOOOOOONG DEEEELLLAAAAAYYY! A lot of things happened and it hindered me from updating this story, and I could list down all of my lame excuses:

1\. after I posted the previous chapter, I got hooked on the video game Monster Hunter, and it consumed my free time XP

2\. after playing our 3DS for a certain amount of time (because MH4U XD), my vision started spinning whenever I lay my head down, so I settled with a higher pillow. My mother told me to rest my eyes for a while, and that means no laptop/phone for a few days or weeks.

3\. then because of the long rest, I turned lazy (well, I always am, but lazier)

4\. then we moved to another apartment, losing my chance to write another chapter because I would still help my mom carry our things to our new residence T-T

5\. in the end, I was just being irresponsible. Or was I? I'M SO SOORRYYYY

So I decided I should post two chapters at once! Yay! Well, nothing much happened here, I think (even though it reached 6000+ words XD) or I'm just being pessimistic. And it's a bit... weird? Chapter 3 is an essential read to understand what's happening (or is it?), but I guess you guys would figure it out soon enough (It's too freakin obvious like omg XD)

Thanks for supporting this fanfic T-T (despite the delays T-T) and it even reached 50 follows T-T Imma cri

Thank you so much guys!

(and fun fact! Shirou-kun has an older brother named Shigeru, Ueda Shigeru. Does it ring a bell? ...No? Then never mind.)


	7. Anger, Running Away

"So, you've sent Takase to follow our subject?"

The brunette researcher placed her left hand on her hips as she stared at her comrade with a blank look. She thought that sending the bald man who had no skill in stalking into a delicate mission was a very ridiculous idea.

"Yes, Yasuhiro-san. Got a problem with that?"

Akigawa Ritou, the dark haired man with dead eyes, responded with a laid back attitude. He sat on his reclining chair with his legs crossed over each other, placing his feet on top of his desk. He had a lollipop in his mouth as he stirred the brown liquid in his cup with a thin plastic stirrer. Yasuhiro stared at the man with disgust.

 _'Ah, how unprofessional.'_

"What are you planning? Why didn't you hire someone instead?"

He stopped stirring his cup of tea and stared at her with disinterest. He pulled the lollipop out of his mouth with a pop and waved it in front of him.

"If I hired someone, our funds will continue to deflate. I'm just being thrifty. Don't worry about it."

"What if he failed?"

Akigawa smirked deviously as he stopped waving the sweet candy in the air. His smirk sent chills down her spine as she backed away. Her reaction made him grin wider then he placed the lollipop back in his mouth.

"Then things will get pretty interesting."

A crack was heard as he bit the lollipop between his teeth, detaching it from the white plastic stick in his hand. He brought his feet down from the table and left his legs dangling in the air. He held on to the edge of his desk for resistance and pushed it with his hand, making his reclining chair rotate on its axle.

"Whoo~! This will never be boring~"

"Akigawa, stop doing that."

"Buuu~ You're not my mom."

He whined like a child as he continued spinning with his arms outstretched. The woman breathed out a sigh and picked the scattered papers on the tiled floor. Who needs a lot of of paper in this city of advanced technology? Well, who knows. She shrugged the thought off of her mind as she continued filing the papers.

Suddenly, the office phone rang and it startled the both of them. Yasuhiro lost her grip on the papers and it fell on the ground, while Akigawa, who was really startled, flew off of his chair, his face flat on the floor. The brunette tried her best not to laugh while the dark haired man grumbled silently. He sat on the white floor and rubbed his hands on his worn out face. Blood trickled down his nose and he wiped it gingerly with the sleeve of his lab coat.

"Kirie, stop laughing and answer the phone for me."

"Yeah, yeah."

She approached his desk and picked the phone to answer the call, placing the phone on her left ear.

"Uh, hello?"

 _"Huh? Yasuhiro-san? Where's Akigawa-san?"_

It was Takase, the bald man with glasses. She didn't know why he called though. Probably about the mission.

"He's... here. But he said that I answer the phone for him."

 _"Really? Then tell him that I already found our subject."_

Her guess was right. Well, that was the only thing that came to mind, right? She answered him as short as she could to quicken their conversation.

"Where?"

 _"Uh... She's in a corner near a park in District 7."_

"Got anything else to say?"

She said in a tired tone. Akigawa was still sitting on the floor wiping his bloody nose, but his attention was all over them. The voice on the other line replied shakily.

 _"T-that's all."_

"Then I'll hang up."

She slammed the phone down as she ended the call. The dark haired man stood up and went to his desk to get some tissue to wipe his hands and his face that were covered with blood. Yasuhiro stared at him tiredly with her brown eyes.

"He said that the subject is near a park in District 7."

Akigawa just nodded at her and continued to clean his bloodied hands. Before Yasuhiro could go back in stacking papers, the phone rang again. He gave her a stare that said 'you answer' and she breathed out a sigh. She begrudgingly picked it up and answered the call in a rude way.

"What?"

 _"Y-Yasuhiro-san?!"_

"Yeah it's me- Wait. Takahashi?"

She didn't expect that the person on the other line was Takahashi, the one with the Accelerator obsession... er, crush. She stared at Akigawa, and he averted his eyes then whistled like nothing happened.

"What are you doing?"

 _"E-eh?! I... I was sent outside to tail our subject..."_

"Ah."

Another sigh escaped her throat as she massaged her temples. The mastermind was still acting innocent from everything and brought out another lollipop from his desk's drawer.

"Then why did you call?"

 _"I-I was following the subject earlier, but when she decided to split up with him..."_

Takahashi trailed off as her attention was all over her subject... of interest. Yasuhiro also expected this outcome, but she still asked to confirm her suspicions.

"Then what happened?"

 _"E-eh?! Ah, I l-lost her on the way..."_

Yasuhiro felt her headache getting worse as she almost crushed the phone in her left hand.

"You lost her? Or you decided to follow _'him'_?

 _"E-eh?! W-what are you talking about?! W-wait, he's going away! I'll call you later!"_

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Then the call ended. Yasuhiro brought the phone down sloppily as she felt her energy draining away from her. A heavy sigh escaped her lungs and her shoulders shrugged. She stared at Akigawa who was acting innocent with a new lollipop in his mouth, still not making any eye contact with her.

"Why did you sent those two out?"

The man finally glanced at her with a dangerous glint in his eyes, still playing with the candy in his mouth. He finally brought it out of his mouth and paced forward. Yasuhiro backed away as he moved closer and closer and closer...

Until her back was pressed on the wall. Akigawa towered over her with the lollipop in his right hand. He tossed it away and slammed his hands on the wall, cornering her with his slender arms.

 _'Ah, so that's what it was...'_

She didn't like being cornered like this, so she tried to push him away, but the man was too strong for her. He leaned down a bit and whispered in her ears, his breath gusting on her neck.

"I just wanted to be alone with you right now."

She felt goosebumps ran on her back as his breath tickled her ears. She maintained a stoic expression on her face and tried to push him away again.

"We're at work. Personal stuff should be done outside."

"Eh~? Then let's go outside."

Yasuhiro lost her patience and punched him in the gut, just below his sternum. Akigawa staggered back as he felt the air in his lungs escape forcefully. He coughed for a while, then scratched the back of his head with a twitchy smile on his face.

"I was just joking. You didn't need to punch me like that."

She huffed and proceeded in filing the scattered papers while the man brought out another candy and placed it in his mouth. He stared at the wasted lollipop on the floor with his dead eyes.

 _'That's going to attract some ants...'_

He kept his hands inside the pockets of his lab coat that was actually full of different kinds of sweets.

"You don't need to be cold to me, Akigawa- I mean, Yasuhiro Kirie-san..."

"You did that on purpose."

"What about it? We're married."

"It's a secret to maintain equity in this group."

"But still~"

Yasuhiro finally stared at him, but it was really obvious that she was a bit angry from his actions.

"What's your true reason?"

He stared dumbly at her for a while, the stick of the candy in his mouth moving up and down. Then he finally answered with a blank expression on his face.

"I want her to come and chase us."

"For what?"

The man grinned a feral smile as he moved the candy out of the way of his tongue and hid it in his cheek.

"You'll find it out."

* * *

Misaka Mikoto ran through different alleyways at full speed, sneaking a few glances at her back. The stalker kept following her but it was becoming obvious as he tried to match her speed. Based on her observation, the person who was following her was not good in doing physical activities, and it made this spectacle rather suspicious.

 _'They sent a non-athletic man to follow me? Is this a trap?'_

But she continued to run anyway. When the man was far behind, she decided to turn around a corner and do a sneak attack. She waited until he reached the intersection as she hid behind the walls of the network of alleyways, keeping her presence perfectly unnoticeable. And alas, the man stood at the center of where the alleyways would meet, panting from overexertion. He looked around to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. He scratched his shaved head in frustration as he dialed a number in his phone. Mikoto saw this as her chance and pounced out of the dark corner she was hiding.

 _'Now!'_

She landed on his back, giving him no time to run. The bald man was really startled that he threw his phone to a wall nearby. He finally understood what was happening when a sharp pain struck him in the back, and he fell down with his face flat on the ground. Mikoto pinned him down on the ground, twisting his arm on his back. He flinched from the pain as he felt completely horrified.

"Nononono please spare me!"

"Only if you would tell me what you know."

She twisted it further, earning a strangled cry from the man. He glanced behind him to stare at her face, and his eyes widened in fright. Her face was contorted with fury and her eyes was lit with a metallic glint. Sparks flew from her fringe as her piercing glare sent daggers at him. Beads of sweat rolled down his face and he trembled in extreme fear.

"Why are you following me?"

"I-I-I... T-that's-"

Electricity shot out from her and struck the ground a few inches beside his face, scorching the gray asphalt black. He held his breath as he realized how close he was in dying a few seconds earlier. A sparking noise resounded the alley and the smell of burnt asphalt invaded his nostrils. It was not a pleasant experience.

"Answer me."

Her voice was laced with poison as it struck him in the nerves. He didn't know what to do. If he would keep his mouth shut, the third strongest level 5 would zap him until he was charred black. If he obliged, Akigawa would kill him...? Maybe. He was a scary man.

But there were rumors about the Railgun that she never killed anyone who fought her. If this was true, then he would rather endure her electric torture rather than being killed by that crazy man.

"I... I'm not going to tell you."

She tightened her grip on his arm and gritted her teeth. She was about to say something when suddenly she turned her head to the right. Shock was riddled on her face as she felt a wave of destruction going their way. Then an explosion burst through the walls, luckily, she reacted quickly. Mikoto carried him on her shoulders and jumped to the side, completely avoiding the huge piles of cement and debris that flew in their direction. As the dust cleared, a lean figure stood in the center of chaos, carrying a bespectacled woman on her lab coat's collar.

It was Accelerator. He had an irritated look on his face as he harshly threw the woman to the side. The woman's glasses was crooked on her face, a few cracks adorning its lenses. Even though the white haired boy was manhandling her, her face had a blissful expression. She was smiling from ear to ear, her drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. This image sent a chill down the electromaster's spine as she remembered a certain perverted teleporter.

"Stop clinging onto me. You're fucking disgusting."

He said as he grimaced in disgust. Despite his harsh words, the woman kept smiling and giggling to herself, and Accelerator backed a few steps away from her.

"Ah~ Accelerator-sama! How harsh of you! And I love it!"

Accelerator's pale face paled further as he felt completely disgusted from her behavior. He backed away further, his face riddled with panic, as she moved closer to him.

"Accelerator-sama..."

"Accelerator."

He glanced to his right, and saw Mikoto who wore an emotionless face. She continued talking to him still with that same expression on her face.

"Do everything to knock her unconscious. I don't care if you hit her with a boulder on the head, just knock her out."

"Hah? You want me to kill her? That's rare coming from you."

Accelerator stared at her in disbelief, while her face twitched in response.

"No, she won't die."

"How are you so sure about that?"

"I speak from experiences."

It sent goosebumps down her back and her facial expression changed into an irritated look. She was experiencing things like that on a daily basis, and she knew that the glasses woman's body was a lot tougher than normal. She could send great amounts of electricity at her, but perverts like her would just twitch on the ground, immobilizing her for only a few minutes. She breathed out a sigh as an image of her roommate flashed in her mind.

"Anyway, just do what I said. Or you want her to be close to you."

"...Fuck."

Then he kicked a chunk of what was left of the wall and it flew towards the woman. A loud sound was heard as it collided with her head. The woman fell unconscious on the ground, blood dripping from her nose. Anyone would think that that hit would kill her, but it didn't. She was even giggling silently.

"That's... extreme."

"I know."

The two level 5s breathed out a sigh of relief. Now that the greater threat (XD) was out of commission, Mikoto finally asked him about his unexpected appearance.

"Why are you here? Aren't you going to find Last Order?"

Accelerator pressed the switch of the electrode off and leaned again on his crutch.

"You're supposed to be doing the same, right?"

"Ahahaha..."

Her throat released a nervous chuckle. Sweat rolled down her face while Accelerator stared at her.

"I-I got side tracked..."

"Lies. That guy was following you earlier."

"You knew?"

He pointed at the bald man who was trying to escape the scene. Mikoto grabbed him in his collar and prevented him from getting away. The feeling of being manhandled by a little girl would hurt any man's pride.

"Yeah. You were so obvious."

"Then, what about Last Order?"

"She's probably just playing nearby, no worries. And she's got a phone with her."

"Oh."

Then her attention shifted back to the bald man as she glared at him. Her grip on his collar tightened as she pulled him closer to her eyes.

"Back to my question. Why are you following me?"

The man shivered from her intense glare, while Accelerator was surprised from her sudden change of attitude. A few seconds ago, she was teaching him how to handle creepy perverts, then gave him lame excuses about her hidden agenda. Now she was glaring at a helpless bald man with darkness in her eyes. She really was peculiar.

"You're gonna answer, or what?"

"Not going t-to tell you."

"Then clench your teeth."

"Eh?"

She pulled her fist back and swung it forward, her knuckles colliding with his face. The man yelped from the pain that struck his face, numbing his cheeks with a sharp stinging sensation. For a little girl, she could punch like a professional boxer.

"If you're not going to answer, I'll break your face until you're unrecognizable."

"N-no..."

Then she hit him again, but with a few volts of electricity. The man cried in pain as the punch was a lot stronger than the first one. Blood trickled from his lips and it reached his chin. Mikoto glared at him with a stern look in her eyes.

"I'm serious."

"F-fine! Just bring me down!"

The man finally gave up. The little girl brought him down with a lot of force, his back hitting the hard pavement. He coughed vigorously as he felt air forcefully escape from his lungs.

"Now answer."

Accelerator stared at the whole scene with a slightly surprised expression on his face. He never saw her act like this in a while. Maybe she was just really pissed. The bald researcher sat defeated on the ground with a beaten up face.

"Akigawa ordered me to follow you to check our progress..."

"That guy... What is this thing all about?"

He bowed his head down as he breathed out a deep sigh.

"We were creating a way for immortality, and we formulated a device that could shrink a person to a younger age. But it was still not perfect."

"But why target me? Where is that guy hiding?"

The bald researcher scratched the back of his shaved head and his brows furrowed.

"About his whereabouts, I really c-can't tell you, he would kill me. But about his motives, I don't know. Akigawa had a personal grudge against you, I guess."

He wiped the dribbling blood from his chapped lips and winced from the sharp pain. Mikoto dusted her clothes, her glare still piercing through the researcher, and her eyes showed an angrier expression. She was not pleased with what she heard.

"You're following a man like that without even knowing his motives? Are you fucking stupid?"

She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her face twisted into a grimace as she stared at him with distaste apparent in her hazel eyes.

"Because of what you guys did, my friends are worrying their heads off. Then you're trying to say that you're just following a screwed up man blindly? Don't fuck with me."

"Railgun, let's go."

Accelerator interjected before things would escalate further. Mikoto clicked her tongue as she glanced sideways. Anger was slowly building up inside her as her blood pressure pounded in her ears.

"I really wanted to give your face another beating, but I ain't got time for that."

She glared at him again, and he gulped nervously. Her dangerous intent was spreading all over the whole alleyway, creating an intense atmosphere. The man sweated profusely as he felt like disappearing on his spot.

"Tell that bastard that I would find him and beat him up in your place. Got it?"

"Y-yes!"

Then Mikoto twisted on her heel and walked away together with the strongest, leaving the unconscious woman and the bald guy in the middle of a huge mess.

"... I'm dead."

The man breathed out a sigh, then fainted after all the extreme pressure. Soon, Anti-Skill arrived and picked them up from the rubble. They might have noticed the explosion earlier, so they went to investigate the area. But the culprits was already away, searching for a runaway little girl.

* * *

The two level 5s finally arrived at the open, away from the dark alleys. Mikoto still had a serious expression on her face, while Accelerator was fiddling with his phone. Soon enough, the white haired boy placed his phone near his ear and waited for the other line to answer.

 _"'Hello?' greeted Misaka as Misaka answered the communication device."_

"Last Order, where are you?"

 _"'A-Accelerator!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka was shocked from your unexpected call."_

He breathed out a sigh as he felt relief wash over him. Mikoto turned her head to stare at him as he talked to the little girl on the phone.

"Where are you?"

 _"Misaka Misaka is in front of a convenience store near the park,' says Misaka as Misaka wondered why would you ask that question."_

"Ain't it obvious? I'm hanging up."

Then Accelerator ended the call with a press of a button. Mikoto stared at him expectantly, but still with the serious look in her eyes.

"Where is she?"

"In front of a convenience store."

"Then let's hurry."

The little girl turned her back away from him to search for her sister but the strongest didn't move from his position. She noticed this and glanced back, staring at his lean form.

"What?"

Accelerator also stared at her, an unreadable expression painted on his face. He finally took a step forward and lead the way. When he passed by her, he muttered a few words specifically directed to the little girl.

"Don't let it get through your head."

Mikoto stared at his retreating back for a while, then followed him with a small smile on her face. She didn't know why, but sometimes, his words would soothe her. It was a frustrating feeling, but satisfying at the same time.

They continued to walk the hard pavement, until their feet stopped in front of a convenience store. From there, they saw a little girl with a forlorn expression on her face, sitting on one of the benches. Mikoto ran to her side and stared worriedly at her. The little girl noticed her approaching, then greeted her happily.

"'Onee-sama!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka-"

But Last Order was cut off when her older sister suddenly hugged her tightly, resting her head on her shoulder. The little girl was confused as she didn't know why would the original suddenly hug her. The older girl breathed out a sigh as released her from the embrace and ruffled her chestnut colored hair.

"You worried us there..."

Last Order smiled at her caring older sister and the gloomy aura that hung over her quickly dissipated. Accelerator walked to their side as he had his usual stoic expression.

"Why did you run away?"

Last Order lowered her head in repentance as she stated her reason. The two listened to her answer and stared at her expectantly.

"'Misaka Misaka didn't want to see you two fight, so she ran away,' says Misaka as Misaka stated her reason."

Mikoto breathed out a sigh, then lowered her face to stare directly at her eyes and held the little girl's shoulders gently. She smiled softly at her which was returned with a slightly surprised look.

"We're not fighting. It's... complicated."

She scratched her head as she finished her sentence. Accelerator just clicked his tongue and looked away, avoiding eye contact with the girl.

"So stop moping around and let's go home."

Last Order finally cheered up and smiled brightly, then nodded her head enthusiastically. Mikoto straightened her back and offered her hand to her little sister, which she gladly accepted. She held her hand gently, but she saw something in her Onee-sama's hand.

"'Where did you get those bruises, Onee-sama?' asks Misaka as Misaka felt worried."

"Eh?"

Then she stared at her own hands, flipped it over, and saw that she had some bruises and scratches on her knuckles. She failed to notice those little details until Last Order pointed it out. It actually stung a little. She laughed nervously as she stated where it might come from.

"Ahahaha..."

"...?"

"... I punched a man earlier."

"'What?! Really?' asks Misaka as Misaka was shocked in disbelief."

Mikoto waved her other hand in front of her as she defended herself.

"B-but don't worry! I'm okay!"

"Yeah. That scumbag's face was broken as fuck."

Accelerator interjected with a smirk on his face, enjoying himself as he remembered the bald man's pitiful face. But his evil snickering was stopped when Last Order took his hand in her own while smiling brightly at him.

"'Then let's go home!' says Misaka as Misaka held Accelerator and Onee-sama's hands."

"Fine."

Then the three walked back to their home, hand in hand, with a peaceful expression on their faces. It was a long day for them, but it was also exciting nonetheless. With these two powerful people that she both loved by her side, Last Order was the happiest kid in the whole world at this moment. She just hoped that they would be calm enough to be friends one day.

* * *

"We're back..."

"Takase- Oh..."

Takase, with Takahashi, finally returned to the office, but their appearance surprised the people that greeted them. The woman with glasses had her head covered in bandages and she also had a few scratches on her arms. On the other hand, the bald man looked like a complete mess, his face was covered in bruises and was also swollen like a tomato, while the corner of his chapped lips had a small piece of adhesive plaster. Their clothes was ripped and dirty, like they were victimized by an armed Skill Out gang in a back alley. Yasuhiro stared at them with pity in her eyes, while Akigawa couldn't help but laugh at their faces.

"What happened..?"

"Bwahahahaha! So you guys failed, am I right?! Your faces are priceless!"

The brown haired woman breathed out a sigh in defeat as she couldn't understand her husband's antics. Takase slumped down on his chair, while Takahashi moped around the corner, mumbling some inaudible words under her breath.

"Uh... What happened to her?"

Yasuhiro asked the bald man, then he sighed heavily. Even though his face was really swollen, you couldn't fail to notice the tired expression on his face.

"She followed the #1 earlier, but she was outright rejected by him as he threw a rubble on her head."

"Oh..."

The brunette was still filing some scattered papers from before, but the office still looked as messy as it was, especially Akigawa's table. His table had a lot of scattered papers on it, and there were also a few scratches marking its smooth surface. She also stared at the corner beside the wall, and saw a lot of ants walking on the wall to the ground, creating a thin red line. Then she followed the trail with her eyes and saw the source of it, a wasted lollipop that a certain someone tossed on the ground. She breathed out another sigh as she stared at the childish man. Meanwhile, the dark haired man sat on the table with his legs crossed, still with a lollipop in his mouth.

"What about you, Takase? What happened to you?"

He asked mockingly at his comrade. Takase shivered from the memory as he remembered how the little girl forced him to talk.

"She punched me in the face, twice. Then she wanted me to tell you that she would beat you up in my place."

"Pfft."

Akigawa laughed again as he clutched his stomach, his eyes tearing up. When he finished laughing, he composed himself and a smirk crept on his face, his eyes shining with a dangerous glint.

"Ah, but I think it went well. So you guys should take a break."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

The dark haired man tossed the empty stick on the trash bin nearby, and replaced it with another of his sweets. Yasuhiro just stared at him with a skeptical look as she placed the papers on a shelf.

"Everything is going according to plan, and it's all thanks to you guys."

He stood up from the table and pulled his chair, riding on it like a child. A devious grin adorned his face as the white stick of the lollipop stuck out from his mouth, moving up and down as he played with it. He pulled the candy out of his mouth as he mumbled in a low tone.

"The only thing left is for the prey to bite the bait, then everything would soon follow."

The mad man snickered silently while the brunette stared at him, a stern expression on her face. The man would always hide a lot of things from them, but she hoped that his secrets wouldn't be the catalyst on how their team would fall apart in the near future.

* * *

HEY GUUUUUUUYSSS! Hey. I know I left a note on the other chapter, but I couldn't help but write another one. Talking (or writing?) to you guys felt great! How was it..? Is it good? I hope so.

And you could see the 'weird' stuff (the thing with Akigawa cornering Yasuhiro, iykwim) that I included in the start of the chapter, right? I think I 'accidentally' wrote that because I was also writing a darker (x1000) story compared to this, and it contained stuff like that (hey, don't get the wrong idea. It's not NSFW-ish, just... nerve chilling?) I didn't want to change it sooooo *henk*. And I still haven't updated that story in a while. Crap.

See you on the next chapter! (I just hope that I could update early, well, wish me luck!)


	8. Parallel Tangents, Sudden Divergence

Misaka Mikoto smiled childishly as she lay on the soft sheets of her bed. Her eyes were closed and her arms circled around the chick plushie on her chest. Soft giggles could be heard as she twisted to her right and settled to a more comfortable position.

To put it simply, the third strongest level 5 was asleep, and she was having a pleasant dream.

Last Order stared at her sleeping form with a small smile on her face. Seeing her big sister smile like that made her want to see it more. In fact, she wanted everyone to smile and laugh with her, to be happy with the people she loved the most.

Beside the small girl, Worst also stared at her not-so-big sister, a playful smirk painted on her face. Her sharp eyes were peering over her small form as she snickered silently.

"Oho~ Misaka wonders what Onee-tama's dream could be? Is it something childish? Something shitty? Or maybe... something hot! If that's the case, then Misaka won't let Onee-tama enjoy that dream anymore. It's unfair of her to get all the fun without Misaka!"

"'Shhh! Quiet!' says Misaka as Misaka whispered in a hushed tone."

The little clone reprimanded the more developed clone with her index finger over her lips. Worst pouted stubbornly as she brought her assaulting hands down that were actually ready to wake the sleeping level 5 from her slumber.

"Tch. Stop being a grinch and let Misaka do what she enjoys."

"'But Onee-sama is in the middle of a good dream!' says Misaka as Misaka thought that waking her up is a bit rude."

Last Order continued to stare at Mikoto's sleeping form with a content expression on her face. It had only been a few days since the original started living (temporarily) with them, and she already enjoyed her company. Her day was not complete without her Onee-sama playing with her, and it saddened her a bit whenever she would remember that this setup was just temporary.

"'What could Onee-sama's dream be?' says Misaka as Misaka places a hand on her chin. Oh! Maybe she's dreaming about Gekota!"

"Ew. That's stupid. Well, it's not that farfetched. Just look at her ecs-"

Worst suddenly stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the sudden change. She stopped all of her actions and stared wordlessly at the sleeping girl. Last Order's eyes widened from the sight in front of her, and a shocked expression made its way to her face.

Misaka Mikoto, the original, was having a pleasant dream a few seconds earlier. But now, her face contorted into a pained expression, mixed with grief and agony. She was sweating profusely and her claws dug into the poor plushie. She was also muttering some inaudible words that further twisted the sisters' faces into an expression of horror.

The once pleasant dream suddenly turned into a mortifying nightmare.

The two clones stared at their Onee-sama with shock painted on their faces, their mouth agape in bewilderment. Last Order didn't know what to do as she sat frozen on her spot, while Worst tried shaking the girl awake.

"This is not the time for mischief! We better wake her up! Hey, Control Tower! Help Misaka here!"

"R-roger!"

The two girls shook their big sister's sleeping form with urgency. As Worst did everything to bring the girl back from the dream world, Last Order held Misaka Mikoto's cold hands and called for her.

"'Onee-sama! Please wake up!' says Misaka as Misaka wants to tell you that everyone is here for you!"

As Last Order ended her sentence, the original abruptly woke up with a start, a sharp gasp escaping from her mouth. She was breathing heavily and her cold sweat rolled down in rivulets. Her cold, shaky hand reached her sweaty forehead as she tried to stabilize the rapid beating of her heart.

"Onee-sama..."

Hearing her small voice, Mikoto quickly turned her head and stared at the worried faces of her little sisters. Her hand left her forehead as she was a bit startled from their presence.

"Ah, good morning..."

She voiced out stiffly. A halfhearted smile was present on her face as she tried to muster a strong personality.

But despite all this, her sisters didn't look convinced. They still wore a worried expression on their faces and a light crease formed between their eyebrows.

"Uhh... Why are you two staring at me like that..?"

Worst's expression turned blank as she slowly raised an opened hand, while Last Order breathed out a sigh. The taller girl unexpectedly hit the original's head with such great force that she could almost feel her head splitting into two.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Onee-tama is so dumb that her head can't be fixed with a few chops on the head. It was Misaka's strongest chop to date, and Onee-tama is still as dumb as ever. Misaka gives up. Onee-tama is indeed a hopeless case."

"Oi! Come back here!"

Worst quickly left the room with fast and successive steps then closed the door as loudly as she could. Mikoto flinched from the sound and jumped in her position. She breathed out a sigh as she let her shoulders drop down in a relaxed posture.

"What's with her..."

She mumbled to herself. Her hazel eyes landed back on the little girl beside her, and she smiled awkwardly at the frowning girl.

"..."

"Onee-sama..."

"Wh-what...?"

The little girl suddenly threw herself into an embrace as her arms circled around her midsection. Mikoto jolted a bit, but she did nothing. She just stared at the child in front of her, her cold hands uncharacteristically flinching away from the girl's form. She didn't return the embrace as the sullen expression that she was trying so hard to hide slowly appeared on her face. As long as Last Order couldn't see her face, she could let her true emotions show behind the girl's back. She rested her dainty hands beside her, but she made sure that they were far away from her little sister's line of sight.

"'That was... a nightmare, right?' asks Misaka as Misaka wanted to confirm, even though the answer was obvious."

"Yeah..."

Mikoto answered with an unnatural coldness in her voice, her hazel eyes carrying the same expression as well. Last Order snuggled her face closer to the older girl and her arms hugged her tighter. She murmured another question as her voice was a bit muffled from the embrace.

"'Can... Misaka ask what Onee-sama's dream could be..?' asks Misaka as Misaka felt worried for Onee-sama."

Mikoto jolted a little and her posture stiffened in response. Last Order noticed this, and tears suddenly formed at the corner of her eyes. Her small hands gripped tightly on the soft fabric of the older girl's clothes, like she could feel the pain that coursed through the original's chest. She actually had an idea on what her nightmare was about, and this thought made her feel really guilty.

As to comfort the girl, Mikoto placed her chin on top of Last Order's head. A soft but bitter smile was on her face as she stated her words with a reassuring voice.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Stuff like this happens sometimes, and it's normal for everyone to have bad dreams once in a while."

Last Order didn't want to release her big sister from her embrace, for she wanted to comfort her despite the strong facade that she showed. Even though Mikoto already told her some reassuring words, the younger girl didn't look convinced. She could still hear her heartbeat hammering loudly in her chest, and she could also feel the curtain of fear that loomed over the older girl. But despite all this, she actually found the warmth that enveloped her body to be soothing, and she wished that her Onee-sama could also feel the same.

Suddenly, an idea flitted through her mind as she thought of a way to bring her big sister's mind away from the nightmare.

"'Then Onee-sama, you were having a good dream earlier, right?' asks Misaka as Misaka attempts to lighten the mood."

"Yeah, I think you're right. But... I can't seem to remember it clearly..."

"Oh..."

A comfortable silence hung in the air as the two sisters snuggled together for comfort, and the gloomy atmosphere slowly dissipated between them. Mikoto's posture slowly relaxed as her tensed muscles gave away, leaning her weight on her little sister. She was not that heavy for the younger girl though, because the two of them were currently of the same size. The thought of her Onee-sama leaning on her for support made Last Order feel fulfilled. A warm feeling danced in her chest as she felt happy and contented at the same time.

Suddenly, a loud and angered shout from the living room reached their ears and the two jolted in response. They broke free from the embrace as they listened at the obviously irritated voice.

 _"Worst, what the fuck are you doing?! Where the hell are you going to fucking take that?! And Last Order! Your shitty toys are scattered around the WHOLE. FUCKING. HOUSE. Clean this up before I lose my shit!"_

"Ah."

"He has already lost his shit actually..."

The two girls simultaneously stared at each other with different expressions on their faces. Last Order looked like she was in deep trouble, while Mikoto had a deadpan look on her face.

"You better clean that up."

"'B-but-!'"

"No buts. He's going to destroy the house."

Last Order hesitantly stood from her position with a worried look in her eyes. Mikoto understood completely what the younger girl was thinking as she flashed a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, really."

Mikoto said while hiding her hands behind her back. Last Order quickly went to the door and opened it silently. She spared her big sister a last glance, where she was greeted by a soft smile, before she completely went out of the room.

Mikoto breathed out a sigh as the little girl was finally out of sight. A forlorn expression returned to her face after being completely alone in the bedroom. She raised her dainty hands in front of her and stared as they involuntarily trembled on their own. A sad smile adorned her face as she tried to close her trembling hands into fists.

"What a liar I am."

She curled herself into a ball as she leaned her forehead on her knees. A sinking feeling filled her chest, and it was slowly stealing the air from her lungs. Her nails dug in her palm as the memory of the nightmare flashed in her mind, fleeting and surreal.

Cold hands pulling her down, drowning her in an ocean of blood. Distant cries and screams of torment echoing in her ears.

And a man laughing maniacally at her, staring at her slowly approaching demise.

Strong feelings of dread spread in her system as she tightly shut her eyes. Even if a lot of people had assured her with a kind voice, even if they didn't blame her for everything that happened, she still couldn't help but feel guilty of the things that she had failed to do.

Given the fact that the people in her nightmare were actually living in the same roof as her.

She would repeat a simple sentence in her brain over and over again, an ominous chant filled with utter denial and tremendous despair.

 _"It's not my fault."_

 _"It's not my fault..."_

 _"It's not my..."_

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 **"It's ALL my fault."**

Misaka Mikoto mumbled under her breath.

Some people said that the brain could be easily manipulated by certain factors, whether they were self-inflicted or social. You can be forced to believe something by simply repeating the same thing over and over again, and this somehow can cause some peculiar instances. For example, if an innocent man was accused of doing a crime and was blamed by everyone around him repeatedly, he might end up thinking that he really committed the said crime. He might even create some false memories in his mind and remember them like it was a genuine one. But in Misaka Mikoto's case, her mind stated her denial repeatedly to no end, but her heart received its opposite.

And it was a scary thing.

Mikoto stayed like that for a few minutes, creating a curtain of deafening silence. But after a while, a sound that resembled a frog's croaking reverberated between the confinements of the walls. The familiar croaking brought her out of a trance as she searched around for the source of sound.

 _"That sound..."_

Her eyes landed on the front pocket of her backpack, and something vibrated inside of it. She has heard this sound for a thousand times already, and it's impossible for her to forget what it was.

 _"My phone..?"_

She rummaged inside her bag and produced a green flip phone resembling a familiar frog mascot. She flipped it open, and a bunch of unread messages flooded the rectangular screen. She scrolled down and skimmed through the user IDs and found out who were the senders of most messages that appeared before her.

A large portion of it came from her closest friends, namely Saten Ruiko, Uiharu Kazari, and...

The person with the highest number of messages sent was undoubtedly...

 _"Oh shi-"_

Shirai Kuroko, her best friend and roommate.

There were also a lot of voice messages sent to her, and she tried listening to them through the speaker.

 _"Onee-sama? Where are-"_

 _"We're hanging ou-"_

 _"You didn't return home last nigh-"_

 _"ONEE-SAMA! WHERE-!"_

 _"WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWE-!"_

 _"ARE YOU ALRIG-?!"_

 _"DID SOMETHING HAPPE-?!"_

 _"DID THAT TROGLOD-?!"_

As her roommate's voice turned louder and rowdier in unnecessary panic, Mikoto quickly ended each recording and unwillingly listened to her agitated screams. She skimmed through the bunch of voice messages, then decided to lend an ear to the last one.

 _"Onee-sama..."_

Mikoto's eyes widened a bit as she noticed the sudden calmness in the girl's voice. She must be tired of all that shouting.

 _"I know that you have problems of your own, but..."_

Her voice stopped in a short pause, and it seemed like she took a deep breath before continuing her message.

 _"...can you please let us hear it from you? Just this once..? Uiharu and Saten-san are getting really worried as well..."_

Mikoto stared silently at her cellphone's rectangular screen with a sad face. As expected, her friends are starting to worry about her sudden disappearance. She continued listening to the message and folded her knees in front of her chest.

 _"But, if I, and the others didn't have the necessary strength to help you on your current predicament... Please remember that we are waiting for you to come back. So, please..."_

Even though it was feeble, she heard a sniffle from the recording. Mikoto lowered her head, her fringes hiding the expression in her eyes. She was tempted to press the 'stop' button, but a part of her wanted to hear her best friend's words. Her thumb lingered above the keypad in uncertainty, doubting herself if she could continue listening to the heartfelt message.

 _"Please take care of yourself, Onee-sama."_

BEEP. That was the end of the recording. Mikoto breathed out a heavy sigh and scratched her head in frustration. A mixture of a deadpan and a troubled look appeared on her face as she stared at the message's information. It was sent earlier this morning, before dawn to be exact. So it was either her distraught roommate woke up really early just to call her, or she never slept at all. The weird slick of hair that protruded from her head suddenly curled from the hypothetical instances, especially to the last one.

"I just made two girls cry today..."

And that was the conclusion she obtained after everything that happened. If she was a man, she might have received a lot of physical violence from the girls around her, or men would practically envy her to death and glare at her from any direction.

"I'm the worst..."

She rested a hand on her forehead as she breathed out another sigh. Her hands was still trembling ever so slightly, and her heartbeat had returned to its normal pace. She stared at her phone again as she felt that she should give Kuroko a proper reply to ease her worries.

"Now... What should I do...?"

She took a deep breath and let her fingers press the buttons of her Gekota phone instinctively. She didn't know if this action could bring some form of peace to her roommate's mind, but she would still do the sole thing that she can only do at this moment. As she finished typing her message, she gave it a final read to check.

 _To: Shirai Kuroko_

 _Subject: blank_

 _Hey, Kuroko. It's been a while. I'm just out fixing something, and I think this would take a bit longer than expected. I'm sorry for making you guys worry about me, but I think I can handle this by myself. It's not like you're not capable of helping me, but I just want to exclude you from the problems that I caused. Don't worry, I'm doing fine. Things are just getting really complicated so I can't tell that much._

 _I will be home soon. I promise._

 _Send my regards to Uiharu-san and Saten-san._

"I think this should do..."

Then she pressed the 'send' button and watched as the action activated an animation. She closed her phone after the message was confirmed sent, but opened it again as it started vibrating in her hand. An incoming call was causing it, and she already knew who the person on the other line was as soon as it rang. She nervously pressed another button and shakily brought the phone next to her ear.

"H-hey..."

 _"Onee-sama! Why aren't you answering my calls until now?! Something happened, am I right?! You've wo-!"_

"Whoa, whoa; calm down, Kuroko! Let me explain first!"

 _"Oh..."_

Mikoto breathed out a sigh of relief as her roommate finally calmed down. It was just the start of her day, but she has already sighed for like a hundred times. If what Kuroko said before about losing a year of your life in every sigh was true, she might be dead by now.

 _"Then, can you explain why you suddenly disappeared without even contacting us?"_

Even though it was faint, she could hear the tiredness in Kuroko's voice. She must be staying up all night, waiting for her to come back to their shared home. Guilt seeped into Mikoto's soul as she noticed how hopeless she was in social things like friendship.

"Uhh... I can't explain in detail, but... All I know is that I got caught up in a mess."

It was now Kuroko's turn to sigh. Mikoto can feel where this conversation was going, and she gulped from the thought.

 _"Did you get hurt?"_

"No, I'm definitely fine."

She answered hastily. She could imagine her roommate frowning from her answer, and it was actually how Kuroko looked by now. The phone near her ear still trembled slightly in her shaky hand as she felt completely guilty of hiding something from her best friend.

 _"Then, how come the Dorm Mistress could act like she doesn't even care about your violations? You're not even attending your classes."_

"Ah, that... Yomikawa-sensei probably talked to her about my problem and fixed my excuse papers for me."

 _"Yomikawa-sensei...? Anti-Skill?! Onee-sama! What kind of trouble did you get yourself into?!"_

Kuroko was shouting at the phone as she flinched from the sudden increase in volume. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she felt being backed to a wall. She didn't know how to answer that question without giving her secret away.

"Ahahaha..."

 _"Why are you laughing?! This is no laughing matter, Onee-sama!"_

Mikoto plopped her small back down the bed as she spread her free arm wide. She took a deep breath, and braced herself for another series of ranting from the other line.

"Sorry! I can't really tell you!"

 _"But, Onee-sama-!"_

"Kuroko."

She tried stiffening her voice, but the girl didn't back down. She continued in her endless worrying while Mikoto struggled to listen.

 _"Everyone is really worried about you! And-!"_

"Hey-"

 _"What if you got hurt?! What if I won't be able to see you again?!"_

"Listen-"

 _"If that happens, th-then I-"_

"KUROKO!"

The girl stopped her words as she was shocked by her senior's sudden outburst. Mikoto slapped a hand on her forehead loudly as she realized how rude she sounded. She rubbed her temples tiredly as she tried to muster an apology.

"I'm sorry, Kuroko... I'm just..."

The girl didn't respond, but Mikoto could still hear her faint breathing from the phone's speaker. She tried formulating her words as she paused for a while, then continued when she figured out that it was useless.

"Just listen to me. I'm not mad at you, okay..?"

 _"I know, Onee-sama."_

Kuroko finally responded in a soft and calm voice, almost like a whisper. The electromaster smiled apologetically like she was talking with her junior face to face.

"All I want you to do for now is to trust me, then everything will be fine. I promised that I'll be going home soon, right?"

Kuroko smiled and nodded in response. Mikoto did the same, and she knew what her junior meant. They interact like there was an invisible connection between them that made them understand each other's actions instinctively, and the two of them didn't even realize it.

"But, if ever the situation goes out of hand..."

Mikoto tightened her grip on her phone as she clutched it shakily in her hand.

"I'll be calling for your help, just like the old times."

Tears formed at the corner of the teleporter's eyes as her chest was filled with an inexplicable emotion. A surge of happiness flooded her system as it involuntarily showed on her face.

 _"Yes, Onee-sama!"_

"Then, I'll see you guys soon, okay?"

Mikoto could feel the sudden positivity from the other line, and her lips curved involuntarily into a soft and relieved smile.

 _"Oh, but before that, can I ask you another question?"_

"Hmm? Ask away."

Mikoto said with a raised eyebrow. She didn't have any idea about what her junior's question could be, so she felt a bit confused.

 _"Is it just me, or is it that your voice sounded a bit different? It sounded squeakier than normal..."_

"!"

For a second, Mikoto actually forgot about her mysterious shrinkage. She cleared her throat before she could find a believable excuse as an answer for her uncalled question.

"H-huh?! I think you're just imagining things! Oh r-right! I drank some ginger tea earlier and I think it caused the MINOR change! Ahahaha... haha... ha."

 _"Onee-sama... Why are you panicking all of a sudden? It's not like the reason your voice sounded different is that you returned to childhood which in turn made your voice smaller, right? That's absurd."_

"Urk..!"

Mikoto turned into a coughing fit as her roommate unknowingly stated the true reason as a hyperbole. The girl on the other line gasped as she noticed her weird reaction.

 _"What was that 'urk' for? Wait... Does that mean-?!"_

"W-w-waahh! Look at the time! I'm sorry Kuroko, but I still have something important to do! Bye!"

 _"Wait, Onee-sama-!"_

Mikoto quickly pressed a button and ended the call as she breathed out a relieved sigh. It was rather unexpected, but Kuroko almost learned about the truth of the situation. She placed a hand on her chest and smiled tiredly.

"That was close..."

Her roommate may be a bit too difficult to handle, but she cared about her very much. Talking to her actually lifted a weight in the electromaster's chest. After all, Shirai Kuroko is important to her. She just didn't show it that often, but she truly treated the teleporter as her best friend.

And unknowingly, her lips curved into a soft smile.

She sat up from the bed and stretched her arms. After that, she clenched her fists tightly and decided to formally start her day with brimming determination.

"I better stop sulking in here. Okay! Time to get some fresh air."

"Hey, you talking to yourself?"

And her cheerfulness slowly dissipated as a masculine voice reverberated around the room. A chill went down her spine as the memory of her nightmare flashed in her mind.

It was the same voice that was laughing at her as she drowned in a crimson sea.

She turned her head towards the door and stared at the figure with her hazel eyes. A skinny teenager stood at the doorway with a crutch in his hand, leaning his back on the door frame. His messy hair was as white as snow, and his crimson eyes were staring directly at her.

It was Accelerator, the strongest level 5. And also the man in her nightmare.

If she could remember clearly, he was also a part of her pleasant dream earlier. The cause of that was completely uncertain.

Their eyes met for a while, but Mikoto quickly averted her gaze. She tried to stay calm, but her mind was silently screaming at her.

"Not even a greeting?"

She stated, trying a snarky remark to hide her sudden paranoia. She stood up from the bed and approached the window pane, pushing it open to let the cool morning breeze in. But it was colder than she expected, so she shivered as the icy gust of wind blew through her petite form. She rubbed her arms with her warm and dainty hands in a futile attempt of fighting the cold temperature of a blossoming winter morning.

"Who wants to give a violent munchkin some useless formalities? That's fucking stupid."

"Yeah, it's stupid. Just like you."

"Tch."

Accelerator didn't seem to notice the change in her behavior, making Mikoto feel relieved. She leaned her arms on the metallic window frame and propped her chin on her palm, ignoring the icy temperature seeping through her skin. Her chestnut colored hair ruffled in the wind as a soft breeze passed by and the warm sunlight peeking from the clouds lightly illuminated her face. It was actually a breathtaking sight to behold, yet the tinge of fear in her hazel eyes made the scene a bit forlorn.

"Oi third rate, don't stay near the open window. You might catch a cold."

"Hah? Why do you care? Just leave me alone."

"..."

Accelerator didn't say a word. In truth, he didn't know what to say. He could feel that something was entirely wrong. The Railgun was always snappy and annoying, yet her words felt colder than usual. It didn't annoy him to a certain extent. Instead, it sounded a bit out of place that it didn't even reach his ears.

He stared at the young girl's fragile back with his red eyes and scanned her posture. Her arms were closely wrapped around her front and her shoulders shivered slightly. Her breathing also started to become visible as the cold weather breached her entire system. The white haired teen clicked his tongue as he walked forward, his footsteps slowly approaching the smaller girl. Mikoto seemed to notice his movement as her shoulders jolted on their own.

Accelerator pulled the windows closed without her consent, then the girl quickly moved to the side in a frantic motion. Mikoto definitely looked like she was avoiding him as she gritted her teeth. She leaned her hands on the bed behind her as she suddenly felt being cornered without any means of escape.

"Oi. Something's off and it's fucking irritating."

"Nothing's wrong. Mind your own business."

She said with her voice wavering slightly. Silence enveloped the room for a while until her footsteps were heard tapping against the floor as she hastily left the room. Accelerator stared confused at the doorway as the girl was out of sight.

"What the fuck is her problem now?"

* * *

"Was that Misaka-san?"

"... Y-yeah."

Kuroko answered the question as she placed her phone inside her pocket. She still wore her pajamas on with her auburn hair undone and its length smoothly reaching her back. She sat comfortably on a fluffy bed with her legs folded in front of her chest. Her face showed a bit of lethargy as she was having a hard time getting some sleep ever since her roommate suddenly disappeared without a warning.

In front of her sat two girls of the same age. The girl on the left had short hair and a bunch of flowers adorning her head. She was Uiharu Kazari, Kuroko's colleague in Judgement and also her close friend. Beside her was a girl named Saten Ruiko. She wore a single flower hairclip on her smooth black hair that reached down her waist. The two sat on the other bed opposite hers with a bag of snacks in hand.

They unexpectedly came knocking on her room's door early in the morning so Kuroko never had a chance to prepare. They said that they barged into her room for some early morning adventure (courtesy of Saten) to cheer her up. But suddenly, she received a message from a certain someone and called the number immediately, completely forgetting the presence of her two friends who stood silently at the doorway. They just went on their way and made themselves feel at home in her dorm room.

"How is she? Is there a problem?"

"I think she's fine..."

"Ehh... What did she tell you?"

Saten asked again as she started to pull out different snacks and homemade goodies from the plastic bag that she was carrying. Uiharu expressed her interest in the topic by leaning closer to the other girls with her fists closed in front of her chest in a curious manner.

"She said that she will be away for a little longer."

"Did she state her reason?"

Kuroko shook her head with a solemn expression on her face.

"No, she didn't."

"As expected..."

While Saten was bringing out the snacks from the plastic bag, Uiharu picked up a can of strawberry oden from the table to lighten her mood. The warmth of the can spread into her cold hands and relaxed her mind. As she held the weird oden, she noticed that Kuroko still looked a bit worried after the call.

"Shirai-san, is something wrong?"

Kuroko snapped out of trance as her friend's worried voice reached her ears. She shook her head and stared at Uiharu with the same expression.

"Nothing. It's just..."

"Hmm?"

The teleporter bowed her head slightly as she remembered her Onee-sama's words earlier. Meanwhile, Uiharu opened the can of oden and picked up a toothpick from the table. She pierced the strawberry lightly, with her eyes still fixed on her friend's form.

"She said that she wanted me to trust her."

"Then what's the problem?"

Kuroko did not answer. She just bowed her head lower and clutched sheets tightly with her dainty hands. A worried expression was present on her face as she thought of why she was still worried after receiving a call from her best friend.

"Isn't that great?"

"Eh..?"

Saten suddenly interjected, startling the worried Kuroko. She had a confident smile on her face as she stared at the window beside Mikoto's desk, watching two birds fly freely from tree to tree.

"Misaka-san told you to trust her, right? Then we will just do what she said. She's very tough, you know?"

"But-"

"It's o-kay!"

She placed a hand on Kuroko's shoulder in a reassuring manner. She still had the same confident look on her face as she smiled at her friend.

"Just trust her. Then after that, we will force her to spill the beans no matter what!"

"Saten-san, forcing someone is bad."

"Hehe, I know Uiharu. I'm just joking!"

She said jokingly while patting her friend's back in a not-so-gentle manner. Uiharu choked on her food and quickly grabbed for a nearby drink standing on the table, chugging it down in one swig. Saten stared at her apologetically with a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

"Sorry about that..."

"Seriously Saten-san..."

The flowery girl pouted childishly at her larky friend with a tint of pink on her cheeks. She set the empty can down and regained her composure after clearing her throat.

"By the way, aren't you going to tell us something? You were so excited about it earlier that you started... flipping my skirt all of a sudden..." Uiharu said with her hands resting protectively on her skirt in fear of another skirt-flipping moment.

"Oh right! I actually found something that may perk your interests!"

"Another of those baseless rumors and urban legends?" Kuroko said with a sigh.

"This one is different! Just you wai- oh."

A slightly surprised expression replaced the excitement on Saten's face. She started searching all of her pockets and her bag, but she can't seem to find what she was searching for. The two stared at her with a raised eyebrow as they noticed her weird actions.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I left my phone in my dorm room..."

Kuroko and Uiharu breathed out a relieved sigh and this caught her attention.

"Hey! What's that for? Urban legends are not that bad!"

She stood up hastily and went for the door. The other two stared at her direction, confusion showing on their faces.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll just take a short sprint back to the dorms. I'll be back!"

Then the crafted door slammed shut. The two girls couldn't help but smile as they saw their friend so excited about something.

"What could it be that she wants to tell us?"

"Who knows?"

* * *

"What on earth is happening to me?"

Misaka Mikoto muttered to herself as she breathed out a sigh. She was sitting on a bench under a tree in a hunched position, wearing a thick jacket over a green long sleeved shirt. She also wore a short frilly skirt and black knee high socks with a pair of green sneakers to match. A warm black scarf was wound comfortably around her neck to protect her completely from the cold.

The sun's bright rays did not feel that warm anymore since winter had finally descended upon Academy City. It wasn't even snowing yet, but the temperature was still unnaturally cold. Only a few people were out, making the background a bit isolated. In fact, she was the only person within 20 meter radius. The others are either eating their breakfasts inside a family restaurant or warming themselves with a cup of steaming coffee in a nearby cafe. Well, it was beneficial for her anyway. She wanted to be alone for a while and think about a lot of things to sort her mind.

A lingering fear flowed in her system as she stared at her own hands. It has been a while since she had a nightmare about that incident, but the feeling of powerlessness and dread came back all at once. The last time she encountered that dream, she couldn't bring herself to sleep and her mind was completely unfocused for the whole day. She breathed out another sigh and her breath became visible from the cold.

She adjusted the scarf to cover a bit of her face. The thick piece of cloth warmed her up and protected her against the chilly breeze that passed by. But after that, a stronger gale of wind blew at her location and fallen leaves swirled in response.

The scarf unwound itself from her neck and almost flew out in the wind until she grabbed it from its end. Relief washed over her as she managed to catch the scarf on time, or else it would fly away and be lost forever. She tried to place it back loosely around her neck, but her hands stopped from doing so. Her eyes landed on the familiar cloth and a light memory flitted in her mind.

"This scarf..."

It was the one that a certain white haired boy lent her on a cold day.* Her eyes continued to stare at the cloth while her hands felt its texture.

 _'It's warm...'_

She thought. There was no other meaning to that. She was too confused to even formulate a connected sentence in her mind. She clutched the scarf tightly in her tiny hands and its warmth seeped into her cold fingers.

Why would the _strongest_ lend her his scarf? Why did _he_ follow her back then? Why is _he_ so nice to her sisters? Why is _he_ so...

"Argh! Why is _he_ so confusing?!"

She shouted to no one in particular as she messed with her hair in frustration. Good thing nobody was around her, or else she would receive a lot of skeptic stares and hushed whispers.

She tried to regain her composure by sitting properly on the bench with her eyes staring at the slightly cloudy sky. The cold was starting to fill her senses as she sat there for almost an hour since earlier. Her fingertips were so cold, and her face were a bit flushed. She set her eyes straight and stood up, her hands in her pockets.

"Maybe I should get some tea or something."

She tried to walk the streets but before she could do so, something dangerously fast went nearer and nearer to her location. All she could do was glance to her side until her body and that something (or someone) collided against each other. A sharp yelp was heard as she fell on the icy ground and flinched from the sudden impact.

"Ow! H-hey, I'm sorry about that. I was just in a hurry, you see... You alright?"

A feminine hand reached out to help her stand. She slowly reached for it without staring at the person's face as she was still occupied with the pain on her back. She dusted her clothes off and replied.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay. I'm at fault too. I let my guard down- EHHH?!"

A mixture of emotions was painted on her face as she finally saw the person in front of her. The girl had long black hair that reached her waist with a single flower decorating it. She was too familiar for her to mistake her for someone else. She truly is one of her friends. There's no mistaking it.

 _'Saten-san?!'_

She covered her mouth before she could blurt out the girl's name. Saten just stared at her with a confused stare with her head tilted slightly to the side.

"What's wrong? Oh, now that I look at you, you look REALLY familiar..."

"E-eh?! N-no, no way. I think you're mistaken... Ahahaha..."

Mikoto could feel a bead of sweat roll down her face. She completely forgot about the cold as her back was suddenly sweating from nervousness.

 _'What is Saten-san doing here?! W-well, it's not like it's impossible to see her in a public place... But District 7 is fairly large! There's no way we could bump... into each other... here. Or so I thought. Is this a joke? A dream? Someone, tell me!'_ She screamed internally as she felt like her mind was going to be toasted from this unlucky coincidence.

"Hmm... Maybe you're right. I think it's just my imagination. By the way, do you have your guardian with you? You seem to be feeling a bit cold..."

Saten said while kneeling down to face her. Mikoto stared at her with a raised eyebrow, but quickly sighed as she realized something.

 _'Oh, right. I almost forgot, I'm a kid in her eyes. Great...'_

"I'm fine. I can handle myself."

She said, almost in a hurry. But the girl seemed to be intrigued at her as she held her chin in a thinking gesture. Her brows furrowed in concentration like someone answering a tricky math question.

"Hmm... You really looked familiar, but... Nevermind. Hey, do you want something to drink? My treat as an apology for earlier."

"E-eh? I-I think I'll pass. And h-hey, you said you're in a hurry right? You can go on ahead..."

She felt being backed to a wall. She knew that Saten would not back down, so her nervousness reached at higher levels. She could feel something not so good would happen if she wouldn't decline, but she could also feel that she would be forced to accept her offer. Her mind was a complete mess as conflicting thoughts swirled in her head.

"They can wait. I told them that I'll be back, so I guess they'll understand. Besides, Uiharu is there, so I think Shirai-san wouldn't be that lonely anymore. Oh, sorry. My mind drifted away there. Come on, let's go!"

Mikoto felt a bit happy and guilty at the same time as she heard Uiharu and Kuroko's names. She must have worried her friends too much. Especially her roommate.

 _'Lonely, huh...'_

"B-but I'm actually in a hurry. I've got something to do..."

But before she could walk away, Saten held her wrist and pulled her away from the bench.

"What are you saying? You don't seem to be in a hurry earlier. And this won't take us an hour, so don't worry!"

"Eh?! But-!"

"You're not allowed to say no until I could properly apologize to you. Let's go!"

 _'Nooooooooooooooooooo~!'_

Mikoto internally screamed her objections as she was slowly dragged into a nearby café's direction.

I wonder what would happen there.

* * *

Author's note:

HEY GUYS I'M BACK AGAIN! AND YEAH, I'M LATE. AGAIN. (I'm soooooo sorryyyyy)

Just like what I said in my profile, my professors dumped me and my classmates a LOT of school work and reports (screw them). I'm really sorry guys T-T But don't worry, this work is still on going. I'm not going to leave this without finishing the whole story. I promise. It's just getting really hard to find some time and spark to write if you're dying from overwork (screw them again).

And... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Did you guys see what I did there? Somewhere at the last scene. Yeah, there. Lol. If you didn't, then that's good. NT17 is giving me the hype! Brain damage is really a recurring theme in the To Aru series. *wink**wink*

Notes:

*reference: chapter 5 in case you forgot.

I don't know if next chappy would arrive earlier, so please practice your patience. I hope you guys would understand my situation. And thank you very much for the support! This fic has already 70+ follows! Yay! You guys are great!

And because of that, I'll give a REALLY short extra to give you an idea on what would happen next.

* * *

EXTRA: Perfect Tower, Sanctuary Destroyed

"Not enough coffee."

Accelerator grumbled under his breath. Because of the headache that he experienced from some brats, he drank his entire coffee supply. A tower of cans stood menacingly at his side like the pyramids of Giza. It was perfectly erected even though it was just made of stacked up empty cans of black coffee. It's nothing to be proud of, actually.

But suddenly, the dead silence was disrupted by a loud clattering sound and his headache reached greater heights than before.

"'Woah!' shouts Misaka as Misaka got a perfect score!"

The tower fell down into a noisy clattering mess on the floor. Some cans rolled around the living room and the others flew away from the impact. His red eyes landed on the small figure behind the disruptive mess.

Last Order threw a ball at the tower, imitating a famous bowling athlete.

And this event SERIOUSLY infuriated him.

Not because the tower that he built has been destroyed, but because of something else. Something that exceeded his patience.

Because of the ball, the cans rolled and flew around the living room. And that's not all. An absurdly accurate aluminum can hit a book at the corner, then it fell down to another, and another, and another, until everything in the house fell down without any exception.

"'Oops. Sorry...' says Misaka as Misaka didn't expect that to happen... Accelerator..?"

The strongest esper gritted his teeth and his fringes hid the expression in his crimson eyes.

"I FUCKING GIVE UP! I DON'T FUCKING GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE! DID THAT HERO RUB HIS MISFORTUNE ON ME?! I'M GOING OUT TO BUY SOME FUCKING COFFEE AND SOME SHITTY ASPIRIN! FUCK IT! DON'T FUCKING WAIT FOR ME TO FUCKING COME BACK!"

He stood up and stormed out of the house in fury. Last Order just stared silently at the door with a confused look. But soon after, the little girl jumped in her position as the door slammed open with Accelerator walking back inside.

"I fucking forgot my crutch. Damn it."

He limped back to the door and spared the child a last glance before he completely went out.

"No one's getting out of this fucking house until I come back. Understood?"

Last Order blankly nodded her head, then the door slammed shut again. She stared at her surroundings and slumped down on the floor with nothing else to do. A loud series of thuds was heard and she turned to look at her back. From there stood a bewildered Worst, her mouth tightly shut into a thin line.

"What the fuck is this masterpiece? It's so abstract that Misaka couldn't understand anything..."

A deafening silence followed.


	9. Tears and Apologies

"So, what do you want to drink?"

"Uhh... It's okay, you don't need to-"

"I'm getting you a drink. No objections!"

"B-but-!"

"C'mon! Just say what you want to drink."

Misaka Mikoto stared at the teenage girl with a troubled expression, bullets of sweat running down her forehead. Her small stature was stiff from the nervousness that ran down her entire body. Her eyes scanned around restlessly as she struggled to find for a way out. But in a single glance, she could easily assess her state in this situation.

She was trapped.

A few minutes ago, she was just sitting not-so-peacefully on a bench outside. When she stood up, someone bumped into her and from there she couldn't get away.

That 'someone's' identity was Saten Ruiko, her friend who was a year lower than her. She attended a different school as her, but certain circumstances and situations caused them to become close. Mikoto knew her as a kind and enthusiastic girl, but that enthusiasm could easily turn into an inescapable situation. She also liked to hunt for urban legends, but that's a story for another day.

Shaking off her thoughts, Mikoto sat on the soft cushions unwillingly with her hands joined together on her lap.

"Hey, you seem to be sweating a lot. Are you okay?"

"H-huh? I-I'm definitely okay! I-it's just..."

"...?"

"Uhhh t-the thing is I have someone to pick me up..."

Mikoto waved her hands as she instantly made up a story to go with. Saten would seem to be naive, but she could sometimes see through a person's lie. She tried to wipe the sweat off her eyebrows as Saten tilted her head in wonder.

"Really? Is that person your guardian?"

"Guardian... Y-yeah! That person is my guardian, so you don't have to worry about me."

 _'Please, let me gooooooo!'_

She screamed in her head. Saten doesn't seem to notice her dilemma but she looked like she bought her made up story.

"Is that so? Then we'll get our order for take out and we will wait for your guardian to arrive."

"Hm. Sounds good... Wait, _we?"_

Her relief suddenly disappeared as it was replaced by another feeling of anxiousness. She gulped but her mouth was completely dry. Saten smiled at her and declared proudly.

"Yeah! I can't just leave you alone right there, especially right now that there have been crazy things happening around the city... Nevermind that. Let's go!"

Mikoto's ears perked up as she heard her musings. An ominous feeling swam at the pits of her stomach for an unknown reason.

"What do you mean about that?"

"Hmm? About what?"

"About those 'crazy things' happening in the city."

"Oh, that? Well... those are second hand information I saw in the net but... It's too much for a child, I guess? Let's just move on and go back to that bench you were sitting at earlier, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Ah! Two cups of hot chocolate please, for takeout."

Saten said to the waitress with a smile. Mikoto begrudgingly backed down as she stared down at her feet. The things that her friend said increased her worries. She frowned deeply as she immersed herself into thinking. Were these information connected to her current predicament? But if it came from Saten Ruiko, that means it probably came from urban legends sites, making the info a bit unreliable. But, there were instances in the past that her hobby helped her and Judgement in their crime-solving adventures, right? The space between her eyebrows creased further as her mind debated with conflicting thoughts.

"Sorry for the wait. Here you go!"

She snapped out of her thoughts as she saw a cup of steaming cocoa being handed to her. She accepted it gingerly with her small hands then walked outside to go back to their previous post.

As they reached the bench, the two of them sat down with their hot chocolate enveloped in their hands.

"So, how are you related to this guardian of yours?"

"E-eh?"

Mikoto jolted in surprise. How was she supposed to answer? She wasn't even really waiting for anyone anyway. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she thought of an answer.

"A distant relative..."

"Oh."

Saten took a sip of her drink then gazed at her direction.

"Then, do you live near here?"

"Uh, yeah. It's quite near..."

Then silence. Saten couldn't seem to make the girl talk to ease the atmosphere, so she continued to ask basic questions.

"Why are you out here anyway? Isn't it cold?"

"Ah."

Mikoto stared at her cup as she answered.

"I'm just clearing my mind off things."

"Huh? Did something happen?"

Saten stared at her with eyebrows furrowed in worry. Mikoto breathed out a sigh that instantly turned visible.

"I kinda got myself tangled in a mess that made my friends worry about me. I also had a bad dream earlier, so I decided to take a short walk."

"Really? Have you talked to your friends already?"

Mikoto nodded her head.

"Yeah..."

"That's good then."

The two of them drank their drinks at the same time then Saten spoke.

"Come to think of it, I'm also in a similar situation."

"..."

Mikoto stayed silent. She had a feeling that she definitely knew what her next words would be.

"I have a friend who suddenly went away without telling us anything. I don't have any idea where she might be right now, that's why I'm getting really worried."

"I-is that so...?"

Mikoto gulped another mouthful of hot chocolate to ease her nerves.

"I know I don't have that much reason to worry about her. She's strong, no, REALLY strong! And she's smart, too. She could definitely do anything if she put her mind to it. But..."

"Huh...?"

Mikoto stared at her with a raised eyebrow and a bit of red on her face. _You think too highly of me, Saten-san!_

Saten breathed out a sigh that instantly turned into white mist.

"...She may be really remarkable, but that doesn't change the fact that she's still a middle school girl. There are still things that she couldn't do alone. I know she's kinda aware of this, but she still insists on solving her problems by herself."

"O-oh..."

Mikoto's face suddenly turned apologetic when she heard her rambles. She didn't have anything to say.

Saten's grip on her cup tightened a bit as she stared down, her shoulders trembling a bit due to both the cold and her emotions.

"I know she just didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her, but everytime she would look at us with weary eyes, I'm starting to think what kind of ordeal would make her waver like that. The last time this happened, I heard from her roommate that she would go home battered and tired. If it's to that level, I don't think it's something that we could beat even if I tried to help. I... might end up being a burden. I'm just a level 0 anyway... I can't do anything much."

"I-it's not like tha-"

"Aaaahh! I said I wouldn't mull over that 'level 0' stuff anymore! Why am I like this?!"

Saten shouted the last part in exasperation while clutching the sides of her head. Her cup of chocolate now stood beside her on the bench. She quickly grabbed it and took a swig, gulping all of its contents in one go. When she finished, she placed it down again then she slapped her cheeks a few times. Mikoto could only watch as her friend bare her heart out and frantically correct her sudden mistake in succession. Her throat felt completely dry that even drinking something would not ease the sensation in her throat. She couldn't bear to see her friend like that anymore so she averted her eyes to a nearby sidewalk. As she sullied over the girl's words, Saten's determined voice pierced through the silence.

"But!"

She clenched her fists as she continued.

"Even if I don't have enough strength to help her ability-wise, I will still do the best that I can! This world isn't grounded only by power levels and what-not! Heck, it's not even that important! People outside Academy City don't have esper powers, and yet, they're still alive! I'm stronger than this!"

She burst out with renewed vigor. She was more likely saying these words to herself, but Mikoto still listened with attentive eyes.

"I know there are things that only I can do, so I'll just keep on doing that. I shouldn't force myself on doing the impossible, but I'll improve myself bit by bit."

She stared at Mikoto with a wide smile and declared.

"When Misaka-san finally comes back, I'll be waiting for her with Shirai-san and Uiharu. That way, she would brighten up fast. We will serve as her support no matter what happens. As long as she would have a home to return to, she'll definitely overcome her problems in a flash. All we have to do is to trust her, and wait for her to come back. We'll provide her with the warmth that she deserves."

Saten Ruiko had tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She wore a bright smile on her face, but it quickly fell apart as she suddenly turned worried.

"U-u-uhh, w-wh-wha?! Why are you crying?! Are you hurt somewhere?!"

"E-eh...?"

Mikoto touched her cheek and her hand was immediately stained with tears. Seeing her friend panicking in front of her, she couldn't help but cry a bit more.

"H-huh? Why won't the tears stop...? I-I..."

"A-are you okay?"

Saten inquired worriedly while waving her arms. Mikoto smiled at her through the tears.

"I-I'm okay... I-it's just that, I really think my friends would say the same thing to me."

Saten stopped panicking then smiled contentedly, reaching her right hand in front of her to pat her on the head.

"Un. I'm sure they would. Here, yoshi yoshi."

 _'I guess it wouldn't hurt if I stayed like this for a while.'_ Mikoto thought as she savored the warmth from Saten's hand on her head, with a smile forming on her face.

* * *

"Ugh. What a pain..."

Accelerator stepped away from the convenience store and the automatic doors closed in response. He wore a thick, white jacket over his usual gray shirt. His white hair and red eyes stood out from the seemingly dead background. In his right hand was his crutch while the other one held an entire plastic bag filled with cans of his favorite black coffee. As seen from the scowl on his face, he wasn't really pleased.

When he woke up on the couch this morning, his eyesight was immediately filled with childish stuff that he had to shout for it to be cleaned by the perpetrator.

Then next, a certain nuisance tried to destroy his day in the worst way possible, but fortunately, he stopped her in time.

To top it all off, the origin of most of his problems started acting jumpy and avoided him so much that she went out for a walk in the cold weather.

It's not like he cared for her (she could just die if he wished to), but her actions pissed him off to an extent. If that brat Last Order would see her all jumpy and elusive around him, she would definitely think that he did something wrong and she would go all mopey the whole day. Thinking about it already increased the intensity of his headache tenfold.

But that's not all. When he downed his entire supply of coffee in one go, he stacked the cans neatly to relieve his head from the pain. Then suddenly, the damned brat threw a ball, imitating a bowling player and destroyed the tower. He wasn't angry about that petty stuff, but the ball triggered an unpredictable chain reaction that turned everything in their apartment upside down.

He couldn't take the stress anymore so he went outside to buy coffee and meds. But due to the cold weather, the coffee in the convenience store near the apartment ran out of stock, so he was forced to walk further away.

He repeatedly cursed a certain spiky haired boy with a deadly right hook in his mind with all the contempt that he could muster.

(And not so far away, a spiky haired high school boy you could see anywhere sneezed and shivered for unknown reasons. He thought maybe the cold weather was getting into him, but that thought immediately perished when he tripped on a crack on the sidewalk. The shopping bag that he was holding flew a meter away from him, and the newly purchased carton of eggs he bought for half the price all turned to waste. His wails of misfortune were heard.)

Right now, he had already bought what he wanted so he decided to walk back home. But he abruptly stopped in his tracks when he saw a familiar lump of chestnut colored hair on the bench not far from his post. He stared for a while to confirm which one was it, then his eyebrows raised when he reached a conclusion.

"The original, huh."

 _Not that I care anyway._ He was about to turn around when he noticed that the Railgun was not alone. Beside her, a raven haired girl was sitting on the same bench. Somehow, he became interested so he walked towards the two figures.

"Hey, third rate. Who are you talking to?"

The Railgun turned her head to his direction, then her eyes turned wide. He noticed that her eyes were a bit red and puffy. She seemed to realize what he noticed and she quickly wiped her face with her sleeves. The stranger also stared at his direction, but he just brushed her off and stood directly in front of the little girl.

"W-what are you doing here?!"

He just raised an eyebrow at her then gestured to his left.

"I bought coffee."

"Again? You just bought almost 30 cans the other day."

"Not enough."

"Caffeine addict."

"Is he your guardian?"

""Huh?""

In the middle of their exchange, the girl suddenly interjected. Accelerator looked confused while Mikoto stared at her with wide eyes.

"Ah- Y-yes! He's my guardian..."

"Huh? What the fu-"

But his protests were immediately cut off-

"Ahh is that so? Then, I still have to get my phone so, see ya!"

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

The girl was about to dash away when Mikoto suddenly called out. She looked back at her, waiting for a response.

"I... That person is really lucky to have a friend like you, I think. She will definitely be back soon."

 _I will definitely be back soon, I promise._

"Let's go, Accelerator."

Mikoto said with a sincere smile, then she turned around, walking the opposite direction without waiting for the white haired man. Accelerator huffed but still followed. They walked the road silently without looking back.

On the other hand, the girl named Saten Ruiko stood still in a daze. Her mind was racing with a lot of thoughts, but she shut them off then quickly darted to her dorm's direction.

* * *

"Saten-san, what took you so long?"

"Ah, sorry sorry, I kinda met someone along the way."

Saten Ruiko now stood outside the luxurious dormitory of Tokiwadai Middle School in District 7. In front of her are her friends Uihari Kazari and Shirai Kuroko, who finally recovered from her slump. They seem to be going outside for lunch, so she immediately ran to their direction.

"You met someone?"

"Yeah. It's a child."

""A child?""

The two seemed to be interested as they stared at her intently.

"Yeah. She's probably 10 years old, I guess."

"Ehh... So, what did you do?"

Uiharu, who was asking all the questions inquired with a curious glint in her eye.

"She was completely alone, so I decided to accompany her. I had a feeling that I shouldn't leave her alone by herself, but I don't know where that came from."

"Really? That's weird."

"Let's continue that after we take a seat, shall we?"

Shirai said as she lead the two to the usual family restaurant. Uiharu and Saten followed then they took the seat beside the glass window.

"Then, why was that child alone in the first place? It's really cold outside right now."

Uiharu said immediately as she sat on the soft cushions. Saten placed her hand on her chin and answered.

"She said she wanted to take her mind off things. She had a problem with her friends, you see."

"She sounded really mature. Are you sure that person is really a child?"

Shirai said skeptically. The iced coffee that she ordered finally arrived and was placed in front of her on the table. She took a sip as she waited for an answer.

"I'm sure. She didn't deny it when I called her one. We actually talked for a while as we waited for her guardian. All in all, she's a good kid. Talking to her made me feel better."

She folded her arms over the table and smiled radiantly. Shirai suddenly looked a bit confused then asked a question.

"Saten-san, you keep calling the child 'she', so she must be a girl. But, did she tell you her name?"

Saten's eyes widened a bit then she smiled wryly.

"Ahahaha. I forgot to ask her."

"Really...?"

"Because she looked really familiar, it slipped my mind! It felt like I've known her for a long time, I don't know why."

Saten explained frantically as she noticed her mistake. She didn't even tell her her own name! She felt a bit ashamed, so she slumped on the table.

"It's okay, Saten-san. It's normal to be forgetful sometimes."

"Don't say that while stealing my ice cream!"

Saten suddenly acted the tsukkomi role for a while as she protected her ice cream from the beaming Uiharu. Shirai steered them back to the topic.

"So, what did you talk about?"

"Ah, we talked about Misaka-san."

"Misaka-san...?"

"...Onee-sama?"

The two said simultaneously. Saten smiled sheepishly as she played with the straw.

"She's actually in a similar situation with us, so I kinda told her my worries about Misaka-san. She seemed to be carrying some heavy burden by herself that she even cried after I told her my side of the story. I was really shocked back there."

"She...cried?"

It was indeed rare to hear someone cry after hearing some stranger's story, so they immediately concluded that the girl's problem was too heavy for a child to carry.

"Yeah. She said that it was because her friends would definitely say the same thing to her so... And oh, she actually said something to me after that."

"What did she say?"

Uiharu and Shirai straightened their backs, staring intently at her. They didn't know why, but something was telling them to listen carefully to Saten's next words.

" _'That person is really lucky to have a friend like you, I think. She will definitely be back soon,_ ' she said. Hearing it actually made me all warm inside that I suddenly wanted to cry hahaha... Shirai-san?"

As soon as she said that, Shirai Kuroko's eyes started to water. She just stared at the table, wide eyed and flushed. The other two was flustered from her reaction that they started to flail their arms in the air in a panic.

"W-wa-wahh? Sh-Shirai-san...?"

"Are you okay?!"

It's not normal for her to act like this, and she knew that. She couldn't blame them for their reactions, so Shirai wiped her tears then replied.

"I'm okay. It's just that it reminded me of what Onee-sama told me earlier on the phone..."

 _'It feels like... I want to see that child too myself.'_

Shirai thought to herself as she smiled faintly. The other two smiled in response because they all felt the same.

"Is that so?"

That child's words are so full of heart and emotions that they couldn't grasp how they should react. They ate their food in a comfortable atmosphere while chatting about mundane things, like usual. But the child's words still resonated in their heart, filling them with vigor they never knew they had.

 _'We'll definitely wait for your return.'_

* * *

The hard concrete sounded with footsteps and a metallic sound as two people walked on the sidewalk. The one leading the way was a small girl with short chestnut colored hair and the one who was a step behind her was a sickly looking adolescent male with white hair and red eyes. The metallic sound was made by his cane and the jingling of the cans inside the plastic bag that he carried.

For an outsider, if you looked from afar, everything seemed to be normal. But if they passed by you, a cold shiver would definitely rush down your spine.

The atmosphere around them was bone-chilling tense. It almost felt like you would trigger a landmine if you crossed them. In addition, these two young people belong to the list of people you shouldn't mess with.

Unbeknownst to everyone, they are not those kind of people you could see anywhere.

These people were actually two of the seven level 5s, Accelerator and Railgun, the number 1 and the number 3 respectively.

They held such intense power that they could take an entire battalion head on and emerge victorious. They are the pride of Academy City itself.

The two just walked in silence. No one dared to talk, they were not that close anyway. She treated him as an enemy while he treated her as a pest. Nothing positive would come out of this. But because Last Order was between the two of them, they have no choice but to work together when the need came. But that wouldn't occur for now.

Well, until they reached the apartment, that is.

When they opened the door, they have different expressions on their faces. The other scowled while the other gasped in bewilderment. They just stood at the porch with a stiff posture.

What greeted them was the very definition of chaos. Everything was in disarray that they couldn't remember how the living room originally looked like. It was exactly the same as how Accelerator left the house, except for the lamely erected tower of cans standing in the middle of the mayhem. Mikoto gulped then turned her head to the person beside her.

"...What is this?"

"...I know what kind of fuckery is this yet I also don't."

Acceletator's head throbbed in pain. He still couldn't grasp the situation at hand. Before he could compose his self, a small voice caught their attention.

"'U-uhh... Misaka did her best to recreate this tower to its original form...' says Misaka as Misaka hides her face from everyone..."

Behind the piles of upturned shelves, a strand of hair peeked out. They definitely knew who that was, so Mikoto could only breathe out a sigh. As for Accelerator...

"WHO FUCKING CARES ABOUT THAT SHIT?! YOU COULD HAVE JUST THROWN IT AWAY! THAT SHITTY TRASH WON'T SOLVE ANYTHING, YOU DAMNED BRAT!"

"Eeep!"

Last Order ran away then went to her room in a flash. The two of them stared in silence.

"...So that's the culprit."

"Ugh."

Accelerator couldn't help but grumble and grind his teeth angrily. If it was before, he wouldn't care about it as long as he could sleep. But now, this state of chaos irritated him, especially when he thought about what would Yomikawa Aiho do if she saw this. He heard a sigh coming from the other person beside him that brought him out of his thoughts.

"...Then we'll just have to clean this up before Yomikawa-sensei arrives."

Mikoto said as she avoided the obstacles in her way with wary steps. She stood in the middle beside the 'tower' and looked everywhere.

"Nothing seems to be broken. You're lucky."

"..."

She turned to the kitchen and noticed to her relief that it was completely unscathed. _So the extent of damage was limited to the living room,_ she thought. She brought a plastic bag out of the drawer then went back to collect the cans. After this, she tried to fix the piles into their proper places. She had encountered a bit of trouble with the heavier ones but she managed to flip them over to their original positions. She wiped the sweat off her forehead then glared sharply at Accelerator.

"Oi, don't just stand there! Do something!"

"Tch. You're annoying."

"I should be the one saying that!"

Then the two of them proceeded to put things back to their right places. It was a bit arduous but they continued with their work in silence. There maybe a few exchanges of 'Where should I put this?' and 'Just fucking place it anywhere you want' but that's it. When they were nearing to a finish, someone came out of the bedroom, so they turned their gazes in reflex.

"What was that noise...? Oh, you're cleaning it already? Misaka still has not taken a picture of it yet."

From there stood Misaka Worst who seemed to have been woken up by the noises they made when flipping the furnitures over. Mikoto turned to Accelerator.

"Was she an accomplice?"

"Unlikely. She had a fucking alibi."

"Is that so?"

"Why are you guys talking like you're investigating a crime scene? Roleplay? Woah, kinky~~"

""Shut up, Worst.""

The two continued cleaning while ignoring the nuisance circling around them. When they managed to arrange everything into place, 2 hours have already passed. Suddenly, they heard a movement from the bedroom and the door slowly creaked open.

Last Order peeked her head from the doorway. Her eyes were teary and filled with anxiousness. She stiffened further when Accelerator glared at her direction. She was about to go back hiding in the bedroom when Mikoto called her name.

"Last Order."

"'Y-yes?!''

Last Order almost felt her heart jump out of her chest as she heard her name being called. Her older sister just stared back at her with a calm demeanor.

"Come here."

"'...R-Roger,' says Misaka as Misaka complied in reluctance."

She walked closer to Mikoto with small steps. As soon as she and her older sister were standing face to face, the latter held her left shoulder and breathed out a sigh.

"Are you the one responsible for this...?"

Last Order flinched from her inquiring gaze.

"'...Y-yes, but, it was all an accident!' says Misaka as Misaka tries to explain herself."

"I know, I know. I'm just confirming it."

Mikoto glanced at the grumbling Accelerator to the trembling Last Order in succession.

"You should apologize to Accelerator over here."

"'B-ut, Misaka didn't really wanted that to happen!' says Misaka as-"

"But you caused him quite the trouble you know?"

"Fucking yeah."

Accelerator suddenly interjected in agreement. Mikoto just rolled her eyes at him and ignored him. She squeezed Last Order's shoulder gently, reassuring her.

"Last Order, what would you do if you caused an inconvenience to other people?"

"'...Misaka would offer an apology...' says Misaka as Misaka lowers her head in guilt."

"That's correct. So you should do it now in front of everyone. A simple apology wouldn't hurt, right?"

Mikoto released her from her hold then patted her on her back. Last Order fiddled her hands as she faced Accelerator, who, was staring expectantly at her with his sharp crimson eyes.

"'...Misaka is really sorry,' says Misaka as Misaka apologizes sincerely."

Last Order felt like disappearing on her spot as the white haired man's stare seemed to pierce through her for a few seconds. Accelerator sighed, causing her to look up at his face. He brought forward a hand above her and landed a chop squarely on top of her head. Last Order flinched as she clutched her head with her small hands.

"'Owwww...'"

"Whatever. Just don't cause more problems, brat. Or I'll hit your head harder than that."

Last Order suddenly brightened up like she had forgotten the pain on her head. She latched herself on Accelerator which the man found irritating.

"'Yes!' says Misaka as Misaka promises with her whole heart!"

"Oi, get the fuck off me, you damned brat!"

Accelerator managed to pry Last Order away from him after much difficulty. Even though she was shoved forcefully, Last Order still beamed at the albino. The tension suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a comfortable feeling.

Mikoto couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Alright, Misaka knows that you all are having your moments over there but do you know what time is it already? It's already past lunch! Misaka is starving!"

Worst's voice pierced through the comfortable silence that caused them to look at the digital clock placed on the table.

"You're right. We should probably prepare lunch right now."

Mikoto said as she turned towards the refrigerator in the kitchen. She opened it and peered inside, noticing that it was refilled for the day.

"How does karaage sound?"

"'Yay!' exclaims Misaka as Misaka jumps for joy!"

"Just do whatever you want."

"Misaka is hungry."

Mikoto smiled to herself as she closed the refrigerator with the ingredients in hand.

"Alright, alright. It won't take a while."

 _But sometimes, staying here isn't that bad._

* * *

When night came, Accelerator sat alone on the living room couch, his eyes staring blankly at the flat screen television. He pressed on the buttons repeatedly without paying attention. When he got tired of it, he hung his head on the backrest and massaged his temples. He pressed the uppermost button on the remote, switching off the tv with his eyes closed.

But then the sounds of a door opening and some footsteps approaching made him open his eyes and look to his side.

From there he saw Misaka Mikoto in her sleeping attire, staring at him with steely eyes. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at her.

"What is it, third rate?"

The girl breathed in deeply before giving a reply.

"...I'm sorry about how I acted earlier."

"Huh?"

His faced was riddled with confusion. Her words made him feel irritated and confused at the same time. He was about to talk, but the Railgun didn't give him a chance to do so.

"I don't want to be a hypocrite with my lecture earlier. I know I also caused you some trouble, so I'm sorry."

She said it again. That cursed word.

 _'A simple sorry wouldn't hurt, right?'_

Fucking imbecile. You don't know what you're saying.

He gritted his teeth as these thoughts swirled in his mind. He tried to calm himself down by flushing all those thoughts out of his head by drinking a mouthful of black coffee. It worked a bit, so he decided to talk back.

"And what made you think you caused me some trouble? Don't think too highly of yourself."

He said with a scowl. Mikoto just shook her head and breathed out a sigh.

"If me staying inside this apartment with you and everyone else isn't considered as causing you trouble, then I don't know what to call it."

"..."

"..."

The two of them fell silent. They just stared at nothing without showing emotions on their faces. The air made them uncomfortable because it held quite a huge amount of tension.

But the silence was easily broken with a sigh.

"...But in the end, I'm still being a hypocrite, aren't I?"

"..."

Accelerator remained silent. He didn't even spare a glance at her direction. Mikoto continued.

"I had a nightmare earlier."

That statement finally made him turn his gaze as it caught his attention.

"What about it?"

"...It's terrifying."

Mikoto looked away and simply stated. Accelerator raised an eyebrow at her answer, but his mouth quickly morphed into the shape of an 'o' as he sucked in a breath. Piecing all his thoughts together, he made a guess on what the nightmare was about. And his guess was correct.

"Because of something trivial as that, I avoided you like the plague. I guess I still haven't sorted my feelings yet."

She said as she glared with all her hatred directed at him. He noticed that her posture was stiff and her hands were curled into fists on her sides. He could feel the animosity seeping from her presence, but he didn't flinch at all. He just stared back with an intense gaze matching hers.

Mikoto breathed out heavily and her posture loosened. Her hands uncurled freely and hung loosely on her sides. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to relax her nerves.

When she finally opened them, she spoke.

"...I know you've been through a lot, but I'm not going to apologize to you. I just couldn't. This feels stupid. No, this is stupid."

"I don't need it anyway."

"I know."

Accelerator said nonchalantly. Mikoto expected this kind of response, so she briefly replied. But she was not finished.

"And I also don't want to hear an apology coming from you. I wouldn't forgive you even if you kneel down before me."

"I wouldn't even think of doing that."

"I know.

Accelerator just eyed her with scrutinizing eyes, trying to figure out her motives. But just seeing her stiff expression wouldn't tell him anything, so his eyebrows furrowed deeply in distaste.

"So, what the fuck is the point of all this?"

The Railgun stared at him with determined eyes then a small smile graced her lips. He furrowed his eyebrows further.

"I just wanted to tell you that we'll probably be hypocrites forever. With this, we're even."

"You wasted my time just because of that? You're a fucking idiot."

With the two of them having committed sins they deemed to be unatonable, they caused each other pain. But because they know they both caused troubles to each other (and their pride wouldn't let them to do so), an apology will not be given. They both claimed they didn't need anything of that anyway.

So it was fair for the both of them.

Mikoto just huffed then turned around, the soft thuds of her small feet echoing throughout the silence.

"I'm just taking a load off my chest. Don't think to much about it."

"Just shut up and sleep, third rate."

"Good night, asshole."

The two of them showed amused smiles on their faces.

She paced to the room's direction, but a sharp pain in her head made her feet unstable. She almost fell down but she quickly caught herself. The albino seemed to notice this as he glanced at her direction.

"What was that?"

"I... kinda lost my footing. I'm getting quite a lot of headaches recently. A good night's sleep would lessen the pain, I guess."

"Oh?"

He didn't seem to care as he waved his hand to shoo her away. As he heard her slow footsteps moving farther away, he breathed out a sigh.

In the end, he still couldn't understand what was the point of their conversation. Well, she told him not to think about it so it's probably nothing. He massaged his temples with his slim fingers as he felt his headache worsen.

"Ugh, that fucking brat."

He managed to sleep on the couch after relaxing his thoughts, his consciousness slipping away from him. Another day has passed, and he didn't know what the future would bring.

Probably more problems.

* * *

Author's note

HEYAAAAAAA I'M BACK AND I'M SORRY FOR MY NEGLIGENCE!

To all the readers, I sincerely apologize for not updating for a whole year. I want to cry. I read people asking me when I would update, but inspiration doesn't easily come to anyone, right? *sigh* You guys can hate me all you want. I know I'm at fault, so I'm really sorry again.

The real thing is, I kinda got distracted by reading. Reading light novels and fanfiction took up most of my time.

And self-loathing.

Yes.

I'm losing all motivation, you see. I finally realized how insignificant everything was sooooo again, I'm really sorry about thinking like this. I know it's wrong, but I couldn't help it.

I may easily give up on a lot of things, but I'm trying my hardest to continue this. I don't wanna give this up. But doing so might take a lot of time due to my nature, so please bear with me.

Thank you very much for reading this! T-T


End file.
